Forces

[Darwinian]

Two cars hitting each other in a head on collision at 50 m.p.h. is the same as one car hitting a solid wall at...

And explain your reasoning please

[edk]

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I went for 50 because the velocity is going from 50mph to 0 in each case, so all other things being equal, the occupants of the car will experience the same acceleration. Haven't though about it in terms of forces because I'm tired. Anyway, am I right?

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[theVOID]

Is the same or would the passenger feel the same force? The latter is true, I believe.

[Cinjin]

100 mph impact force. No question about it.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A good example would be a baseball pitched at 95 mph at a batter. If that batter chooses to bunt the ball, the impact force is not as great, but if the batter swings and makes contact, the impact forced is compounded.

There's no way the impact force is the same on a wall as it is a head-on collision. Both cars are in motion (action). A wall has no action, therefore no reaction. The energy released in a head on collision is compounded by 2.

No question about it. Impact force of head-on collision is simply the sum of the two speeds the cars were traveling at the moment of impact.

[Tiberius]

100 mph impact force. No question about it.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A good example would be a baseball pitched at 95 mph at a batter. If that batter chooses to bunt the ball, the impact force is not as great, but if the batter swings and makes contact, the impact forced is compounded.

There's no way the impact force is the same on a wall as it is a head-on collision. Both cars are in motion (action). A wall has no action, therefore no reaction. The energy released in a head on collision is compounded by 2.

No question about it. Impact force of head-on collision is simply the sum of the two speeds the cars were traveling at the moment of impact.

Newton's third law does indeed state "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction". However, you forget that there are two forces involved here (one for each car), so each must have an equal and opposite reaction. Whilst the total force involved in the impact is 100 mph, it has to be spread between both cars equally, since both are contributing to the force equally. Hence, each car will receive the same "reaction" as if they had hit a stationary wall at 50 mph.

This was recently demonstrated by the MythBusters.

[Cinjin]

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100 mph impact force. No question about it.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A good example would be a baseball pitched at 95 mph at a batter. If that batter chooses to bunt the ball, the impact force is not as great, but if the batter swings and makes contact, the impact forced is compounded.

There's no way the impact force is the same on a wall as it is a head-on collision. Both cars are in motion (action). A wall has no action, therefore no reaction. The energy released in a head on collision is compounded by 2.

No question about it. Impact force of head-on collision is simply the sum of the two speeds the cars were traveling at the moment of impact.

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Newton's third law does indeed state "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction". However, you forget that there are two forces involved here (one for each car), so each must have an equal and opposite reaction. Whilst the total force involved in the impact is 100 mph, it has to be spread between both cars equally, since both are contributing to the force equally. Hence, each car will receive the same "reaction" as if they had hit a stationary wall at 50 mph.

This was recently demonstrated by the MythBusters.

Oops I should've read the OP closer.

[Violet]

Holy shit... you mean I've been lied to all these years about automobile collisions by people that don't have a fucking iota of a clue about physics?

[theVOID]

Holy shit... you mean I've been lied to all these years about automobile collisions by people that don't have a fucking iota of a clue about physics?

A two car collision is more dangerous, two cars full of passengers get fucked

[Anomalocaris]

Two cars hitting each other in a head on collision at 50 m.p.h. is the same as one car hitting a solid wall at...

And explain your reasoning please

Assuming the two cars are
1. identical,
2. symmetrical about its long axis
3 Experience collision exactly squarely head on,

Only then is their 50 mph headon collision is from the perspective of each car the same as hitting an unyielding wall at 50 mph.

Otherwise the collision dynamics will introduce torques and net lateral forces which cause the collision to be different from hitting a wall.