Collision between two identical objects

[staralfur]

Cars A and B have the sama mass.
A and B are traveling at 60 mph toward each other. They have two options: hitting the other car head on, or swerving into a massive concrete wall, also head on. (assume the same amount of KE is lost by your car in both collisions.) Should the drivers hit the other car or the wall?
What if the masses or speeds would not be the same?

 

[A.T.]

assume the same amount of KE is lost by your car in both collisions

Doesn't the above already answer the question?

 

[berkeman]

Cars A and B have the sama mass.
A and B are traveling at 60 mph toward each other. They have two options: hitting the other car head on, or swerving into a massive concrete wall, also head on. (assume the same amount of KE is lost by your car in both collisions.) Should the drivers hit the other car or the wall?
What if the masses or speeds would not be the same?

Welcome to the PF.

Is this a schoolwork question?

 

[staralfur]

I saw this on a list of conceptual physics questions. Might be someone's schoolwork but not mine :)

 

[staralfur]

How can this be proven mathmatically. Can it be done using energy conservation and momentum conservation?