Essential University Physics (3rd Edition)
3rd Edition
ISBN: 9780134202709
Author: Richard Wolfson
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Textbook Question
Chapter 4, Problem 5FTD
A truck crashes into a stalled car. A student trying to explain the physics of this event claims that no forces are involved; the car was just “in the way” so it got hit. Comment.
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
Most of us know intuitively that in a head-on collision between a large dump truck and a subcompact car, you are better off being in the truck than in the car. Why is this? Many people imagine that the collision force exerted on the car is much greater than that exerted on the truck. To substantiate this view, they point out that the car is crushed, whereas the truck is only dented. This idea of unequal forces, of course, is false; Newton's third law tells us that both objects are acted upon by forces of the same magnitude. The truck suffers less damage because it is made of stronger metal. But what about the two drivers? Do they experience the same forces? To answer this question, suppose that each vehicle is initially moving at 6.50 m/s and that they undergo a perfectly inelastic head-on collision. Each driver has mass 71.0 kg. Including the masses of the drivers, the total masses of the vehicles are 800 kg for the car and 4,000 kg for the truck. If the collision time is 0.110 s,…
Most of us know intuitively that in a head-on collision between a large dump truck and a subcompact car, you are better off being in the truck than in the car. Why is this? Many people imagine that the collision force exerted on the car is much greater than that exerted on the truck. To substantiate this view, they point out that the car is crushed, whereas the truck is only dented. This idea of unequal forces, of course, is false; Newton's third law tells us that both objects are acted upon by forces of the same magnitude. The truck suffers less damage because it is made of stronger metal. But what about the two drivers? Do they experience the same forces? To answer this question, suppose that each vehicle is initially moving at 8.10 m/s and that they undergo a perfectly inelastic head-on collision. Each driver has mass 73.0 kg. Including the masses of the drivers, the total masses of the vehicles are 800 kg for the car and 4,000 kg for the truck. If the collision time is 0.130 s,…
Most of us know intuitively that in a head-on collision between a large dump truck and a subcompact car, you are better off being in the truck than in the car. Why is this? Many people imagine that the collision force exerted on the car is much greater than that exerted on the truck. To substantiate this view, they point out that the car is crushed, whereas the truck is only dented. This idea of unequal forces, of course, is false; Newton's third law tells us that both objects are acted upon by forces of the same magnitude. The truck suffers less damage because it is made of stronger metal. But what about the two drivers? Do they experience the same forces? To answer this question, suppose that each vehicle is initially moving at 7.50 m/s and that they undergo a perfectly inelastic head-on collision. Each driver has mass 77.0 kg. Including the masses of the drivers, the total masses of the vehicles are 800 kg for the car and 4,000 kg for the truck. If the collision time is 0.130 s,…
Chapter 4 Solutions
Essential University Physics (3rd Edition)
Ch. 4.2 - A curved barrier lies on a horizontal tabletop, as...Ch. 4.2 - A nonzero net force acts on an object. Which of...Ch. 4.4 - A popular childrens book explains the...Ch. 4.5 - For each of the following situations, would the...Ch. 4.6 - The figure shows two blocks with two forces acting...Ch. 4.6 - (1) Would the answer to (a) in Example 4.5 change...Ch. 4 - Distinguish the Aristotelian and Galilean/New...Ch. 4 - A ball bounces off a wall with the same speed it...Ch. 4 - We often use the term inertia to describe human...Ch. 4 - Does a body necessarily move in the direction of...
Ch. 4 - A truck crashes into a stalled car. A student...Ch. 4 - A barefoot astronaut kicks a ball, hard, across a...Ch. 4 - The surface gravity on Jupiters moon Io is...Ch. 4 - In paddling a canoe, you push water backward with...Ch. 4 - Is it possible for a nonzero net force to act on...Ch. 4 - As your plane accelerates down the runway, you...Ch. 4 - A driver tells passengers to buckle their...Ch. 4 - If you cut a spring in half, is the spring...Ch. 4 - As youre sitting on a chair, theres a...Ch. 4 - Section 4.2 Newtons First and Second Laws A subway...Ch. 4 - A 61-Mg railroad locomotive can exert a 0.12-MN...Ch. 4 - A small plane accelerates down the runway at 7.2...Ch. 4 - A car leaves the road traveling at 110 km/h and...Ch. 4 - By how much does the force required to stop a car...Ch. 4 - Kinesin is a motor protein responsible for moving...Ch. 4 - Starting from rest and undergoing constant...Ch. 4 - In an egg-dropping contest, a student encases an...Ch. 4 - In a front-end collision, a 1300-kg car with...Ch. 4 - Show that the units of acceleration can be written...Ch. 4 - Your spaceship crashes on one of the Suns planets....Ch. 4 - Your friend can barely lift a 35-kg concrete block...Ch. 4 - A cereal box says net weight 340 grams. Whats the...Ch. 4 - Youre a safely engineer for a bridge spanning the...Ch. 4 - The gravitational acceleration at the...Ch. 4 - A 50-kg parachutist descends at a steady 40 km/h....Ch. 4 - A 930-kg motorboat accelerates away from a dock at...Ch. 4 - An elevator accelerates downward at 2.4 m/s2. What...Ch. 4 - At 560 metric tons, the Airbus A-380 is the worlds...Ch. 4 - Youre an engineer working on Ares I, NASAs...Ch. 4 - You slop into an elevator, and it accelerates to a...Ch. 4 - What upward gravitational force does a 5600-kg...Ch. 4 - Your friends mass is 65 kg. If she jumps off a...Ch. 4 - What force is necessary to stretch a spring 48 cm,...Ch. 4 - A 35-N force is applied to a spring with spring...Ch. 4 - A spring with spring constant k = 340 N/m is used...Ch. 4 - A 1.25-kg object is moving in the x-direction at...Ch. 4 - An airplane encounters sudden turbulence, and you...Ch. 4 - A 74-kg tree surgeon rides a cherry picker lift to...Ch. 4 - A dancer executes a vertical jump during which the...Ch. 4 - Find expressions for the force needed to bring an...Ch. 4 - An elevator moves upward at 5.2 m/s. Whats its...Ch. 4 - A 2.50-kg object is moving along the x-axis at...Ch. 4 - Blocks of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 kg are lined up on a...Ch. 4 - A child pulls an 11-kg wagon with a horizontal...Ch. 4 - Biophysicists use an arrangement of laser beams...Ch. 4 - A force F is applied to a spring of spring...Ch. 4 - A 22(M)-kg airplane pulls two gliders, the first...Ch. 4 - A biologist is studying the growth of rats on the...Ch. 4 - An elastic towrope has spring constant 1300 N/m....Ch. 4 - A 2.0-kg mass and a 3.0-kg mass are on a...Ch. 4 - Youre an automotive engineer designing the crumple...Ch. 4 - Frogs tongues dart out to catch insects, with...Ch. 4 - Two large crates, with masses 640 kg and 490 kg,...Ch. 4 - What force do the blades of a 4300-kg helicopter...Ch. 4 - What engine thrust (force) is needed to accelerate...Ch. 4 - Your engineering firm is asked to specify the...Ch. 4 - With its fuel tanks half full, an F-35A jet...Ch. 4 - Two springs have the same unstretched length but...Ch. 4 - Although we usually write Newtons second law for...Ch. 4 - A railroad car is being pulled beneath a grain...Ch. 4 - A block 20% more massive than you hangs from a...Ch. 4 - Youre asked to calibrate a device used to measure...Ch. 4 - A spider of mass ms drapes a silk thread of...Ch. 4 - Figure 4.27 shows vertical accelerometer data from...Ch. 4 - A hockey stick is in contact with a 165-g puck for...Ch. 4 - After parachuting through the Martian atmosphere,...Ch. 4 - Your airplane is caught in a brief, violent...Ch. 4 - Youre assessing the Engineered Material Arresting...Ch. 4 - Two masses are joined by a massless string. A 30-N...Ch. 4 - A mass M hangs from a uniform rope of length L and...Ch. 4 - Jerk is the rate of change of acceleration, and...Ch. 4 - Laptop computers are equipped with accelerometers...Ch. 4 - Laptop computers are equipped with accelerometers...Ch. 4 - Laptop computers are equipped with accelerometers...Ch. 4 - Laptop computers are equipped with accelerometers...
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Find more solutions based on key concepts
Two culture media were inoculated with four different bacteria. After incubation, the following results were ob...
Microbiology: An Introduction
Why is petroleum jelly used in the hanging-drop procedure?
Laboratory Experiments in Microbiology (12th Edition) (What's New in Microbiology)
In cats, tortoiseshell coat color appears in females. A tortoiseshell coat has patches of dark brown fur and pa...
Genetic Analysis: An Integrated Approach (3rd Edition)
Choose the best answer to each of the following. Explain your reasoning. In general, what kind of a terrestrial...
Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals
1.1 Write a one-sentence definition for each of the following:
a. chemistry
b. chemical
Chemistry: An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry (13th Edition)
Distinguish between pollination and fertilization.
Campbell Biology (11th Edition)
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- There is a compressed spring between two laboratory carts of masses m1 = 105 g and m2 = 212 g. Initially, the carts are held at rest on a horizontal track (Fig. P10.40A). The carts are released, and the cart of mass m1 has velocity vi=2.035i m/s in the positive x direction (Fig. 10.40B). Assume rolling friction is negligible. a. What is the net external force on the two-cart system? b. Find the velocity of cart 2. FIGURE P10.40 Problems 40 and 41.arrow_forwardA hockey puck of mass 150 g is sliding due east on a frictionless table with a speed of 10 m/s. Suddenly, a constant force of magnitude 5 N and direction due north is applied to the puck for 1.5 s. Find the north and east components of the momentum at the end of the 1.3-s interval.arrow_forwardA 57.0-g tennis ball is traveling straight at a player at 21.0 m/s. The player volleys the ball straight back at 25.0 m/s. If the ball remains in contact with the racket for 0.060 s, what average force acts on the ball? (a) 22.6 N (b) 32.5 N (c) 43.7 N (d) 72.1 N (e) 102 Narrow_forward
- This is a symbolic version of Problem 23. A girl of mass mG is standing on a plank of mass mp. Both are originally at rest on a frozen lake that constitutes a frictionless, flat surface. The girl begins to walk along the plank at a constant velocity vGP to the right relative to the plank. (The subscript GP denotes the girl relative to plank.) (a) What is the velocity vPI of the plank relative to the surface of the ice? (b) What is the girls velocity vGI relative to the ice surface?arrow_forwardWhen two objects collide, the impulse exerted on object 1 by object 2 is equal in magnitude and opposite and direction to the impulse exerted on object 2 by object 1: I[1on2]=I[2on1](11.8) And the change in their momenta is given by: p1=p2(11.9) Which of Newtons three laws justifies these two equations?arrow_forwardA space probe, initially at rest, undergoes an internal mechanical malfunction and breaks into three pieces. One piece of mass ml = 48.0 kg travels in the positive x-direction at 12.0 m/s, and a second piece of mass m2 = 62.0 kg travels in the xy-plane at an angle of 105 at 15.0 m/s. The third piece has mass m3 = 112 kg. (a) Sketch a diagram of the situation, labeling the different masses and their velocities, (b) Write the general expression for conservation of momentum in the x- and y-directions in terms of m1, m2, m3, v1, v2 and v3 and the sines and cosines of the angles, taking to be the unknown angle, (c) Calculate the final x-components of the momenta of m1 and m2. (d) Calculate the final y-components of the momenta of m1 and m2. (e) Substitute the known momentum components into the general equations of momentum for the x- and y-directions, along with the known mass m3. (f) Solve the two momentum equations for v3 cos and v3 sin , respectively, and use the identity cos2 + sin2 = 1 to obtain v3. (g) Divide the equation for v3 sin by that for v3 cos to obtain tan , then obtain the angle by taking the inverse tangent of both sides, (h) In general, would three such pieces necessarily have to move in the same plane? Why?arrow_forward
- What external force is responsible for changing the momentum of a car moving along a horizontal road?arrow_forwardTwo figure skaters are coasting in the same direction, with the leading skater moving at 5.5 m/s and the trailing skating moving at 6.2 m/s. When the trailing skater catches up with the leading skater, he picks her up without applying any horizontal forces on his skates. If the trailing skater is 50 heavier than the 50-kg leading skater, what is their speed after he picks her up?arrow_forwardFigure P9.59a shows an overhead view of the configuration of two pucks of mass In on frictionless ice. The pucks are tied together with a string of length 1' and negligible mass. At time t = 0, a constant force of magnitude F begins to pull to the right on the center point of the string. At time t, the moving pucks strike each other and stick together. At this time, the force has moved through a distance 4 and the pucks have attained a speed v (Fig. P9.59b). (a) What is v in terms of F, d, e, and in? (b) How much of the energy transferred into the system by work done by the force has been transformed to internal energy?arrow_forward
- If a rainstorm drops 1 cm of rain over an area of 10km2 in the period of 1 hour, what is the momentum of the rain that falls in one second? Assume the terminal velocity of a raindrop is 10 m/s.arrow_forwardHow much fuel would be needed for a 1000-kg rocket (this is its mass with no fuel) to take off from Earth and reach 1000 m/s in 30 s? The exhaust speed is 1000 m/s.arrow_forwardA girl of mass mg is standing on a plank of mass mp. Both are originally at rest on a frozen lake that constitutes a frictionless, flat surface. The girl begins to walk along the plank at a constant velocity vgp to the right relative to the plank. (The subscript gp denotes the girl relative to plank.) (a) What is the velocity vpi of the plank relative to the surface of the ice? (b) What is the girls velocity vgi relative to the ice surface?arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
- Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based TextPhysicsISBN:9781133104261Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningClassical Dynamics of Particles and SystemsPhysicsISBN:9780534408961Author:Stephen T. Thornton, Jerry B. MarionPublisher:Cengage LearningUniversity Physics Volume 1PhysicsISBN:9781938168277Author:William Moebs, Samuel J. Ling, Jeff SannyPublisher:OpenStax - Rice University
- Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations...PhysicsISBN:9781133939146Author:Katz, Debora M.Publisher:Cengage LearningPhysics for Scientists and Engineers, Technology ...PhysicsISBN:9781305116399Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningGlencoe Physics: Principles and Problems, Student...PhysicsISBN:9780078807213Author:Paul W. ZitzewitzPublisher:Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
Physics
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems
Physics
ISBN:9780534408961
Author:Stephen T. Thornton, Jerry B. Marion
Publisher:Cengage Learning
University Physics Volume 1
Physics
ISBN:9781938168277
Author:William Moebs, Samuel J. Ling, Jeff Sanny
Publisher:OpenStax - Rice University
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations...
Physics
ISBN:9781133939146
Author:Katz, Debora M.
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Technology ...
Physics
ISBN:9781305116399
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Glencoe Physics: Principles and Problems, Student...
Physics
ISBN:9780078807213
Author:Paul W. Zitzewitz
Publisher:Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Newton's Second Law of Motion: F = ma; Author: Professor Dave explains;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzA6IBWUEDE;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY