Chapter 7, Problem 36A

A small car bumps into a van at rest in a parking lot. Upon which vehicle is the force of impact greater? Which vehicle undergoes the greater change in acceleration? Defend your answer.

To determine

The vehicle which has a greater force and the greater change in acceleration.

Answer to Problem 36A

The force on the vehicle will be same but the acceleration of the small car will be more.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

As per Newton’s third law of motion, for every force exerted there is an opposite and equal reaction force.

And, according to Newton’s second law of motion, if the force $F$ is applied to the mass $m$ , then the acceleration produced is given by,

  $a=\frac{F}{m}$

When a smaller car bumps into a van, then force on both the cars will be same due to Newton’s third law of motion. Now, considering Newton’s second law of motion, if the force is same, then the acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass of the car.

Conclusion:

Hence, the acceleration of smaller car will be more as compared to the acceleration of the van since the force on both the cars is same.