Calculating Force of Impact in Car-Motorcyclist Collision

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Protagoris
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Research
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the force of impact in a collision between a car weighing 3600 pounds traveling at 55 miles per hour and a motorcyclist weighing 550 pounds moving at 100 miles per hour. Key calculations include the force of impact on the motorcyclist, the distance the motorcyclist would travel before hitting the ground, and the time spent in the air when starting from a height of 3 feet. The conversation emphasizes the importance of realistic assumptions and acknowledges the variability in outcomes based on specific conditions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's Second Law of Motion
  • Familiarity with basic physics formulas for calculating force and projectile motion
  • Knowledge of units of measurement for weight and speed
  • Basic grasp of collision dynamics in physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research "Newton's Second Law of Motion" for force calculations
  • Study "Projectile Motion" to understand how to calculate distance and time in the air
  • Explore "Collision Dynamics" to learn about impact forces in vehicle accidents
  • Investigate "Kinetic Energy" and its role in collision outcomes
USEFUL FOR

Writers, engineers, and safety analysts interested in understanding the physics of vehicle collisions and their implications for safety and accident reconstruction.

Protagoris
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi, I'm researching for a story I'm writing and while not terrible at math I don't know the formulas needed, so I could use some help.

A car traveling north weights 3600 pounds, moving at 55 miles per hour changed lanes and strikes a motorcyclist weighting 550 (375 of vehicle, 175 of driver) pounds moving at 100 miles per hour also traveling north.

What's the force of impact the car would have on the motorcyclist, how far would the motorcyclist fly before hitting the ground, how long would the motorcyclist be in the air (if starting 3 feet off the ground), what is the force of impact the motorcyclist would have when hitting the ground, and how far might the motorcyclist might travel along the ground (if it were flat grass)?

I know there are probably a lot of variables here and that exact answers might not be feasible, but any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
There's no hard & fast rules for situations like these, it's dependent on what car, what bike, what direction the bike is moving (even a 2 degree difference means a lot) I appreciate however that you want an accurate assessment but my advice would be just to go within the boarders of realism (i.e not the biker flying 50 foot backward :P). From a personal point of view, i could probably see the biker hitting the dashboard dependent on the car, and the bike getting crushed, but don't take my word for it.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
16K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
5K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K