Question
Students read that a car colliding with a wall experiences the same stopping force
as a car colliding head-on with another car. One student thinks that cannot be
orrect, the head-on collision involves greater forces. They decided to investigate
the forces involved in colliding toy cars. They designed and built add-on front
ends that should collapse an amount equal to the stopping force on the toy car
In another investigation, the students investigated the
toy car with the same collapsible front end colliding
into a wall. They found that the front end collapsed an
average of 4.0 cm when the toy car collided with the
wall at a speed of 1. 5 m/s.
Based on the 2 investigations, what should the
students conclude about the forces involved in a toy
car colliding into a wall and colliding head-on with
another toy car?
Toy Cars Colliding Head-on
A toy car moving at 1.5 m/s stops in 4.0 cm,
A. whether it collides into a wall or head-on with
1.5 m/s
1.5 m/s
another car.
Change in length after collision
B. Colliding head-on involves greater stopping
forces than colliding into a wall, but the effect
of the forces is the same.
Toy Car Speed Cause of Collision Change in Front End Length
With both toy cars moving at 1.5. cm, the
Answer
students should conclude that the forces involved in a toy car colliding into a wall and colliding head-on with another toy car are the same, as the front end collapsed an average of 4.0 cm in both investigations.