Understanding Car Collisions: Mass, Velocity, and Acceleration Explained

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    Car Collisions
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In a head-on collision between two cars, where one has mass m and the other has mass 2m, car 1 experiences a greater acceleration due to its smaller mass. Both cars traveling at the same velocity will experience equal impulse, similar to one car colliding with a wall. However, car 1 receives a larger impulse than car 2 because of its lower mass. The discussion emphasizes that during collisions, equal and opposite forces act on both vehicles, leading to different accelerations based on their masses. Understanding these principles is crucial for grasping the dynamics of car collisions.
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If car 1 has a a mass(m) and car 2 has a mass(2m), in a head on collision, with both cars traveling the same velocity, which car experiences a bigger acceleration ?

my answer - car 1

If two identical cars with identical speeds and masses collide, the impulse received by each car is the same as if one of the cars collided with a wall ?

my answer - yes

Car 1 has a mass(m) car 2 has a mass(2m). In a collision while moving with identical velocities, does car 1 receive a bigger impulse than car 2 ?

my answer - yes


I'm new to collisions, momentum, and impulse
If someone could throughly walk me through the problems I would really appreciate it.
If I'm wrong please point it out, I deff. can't learn from my mistakes without knowing I made any

Thank you !
 
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During collision there are equal and opposite forces acting on the cars.

F = ma_1

F = 2ma_2

bigger mass, same magnitude force, less acceleration?
 
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