How Do Relative Velocities Affect Collision Impact?

AI Thread Summary
Relative velocities play a crucial role in determining the impact of collisions between moving objects. In the example of two identical cars, the impact damage remains consistent regardless of their speeds, as motion is relative. By choosing an appropriate reference frame, one can simplify the situation to analyze the collision effectively. The concept emphasizes that there is no absolute speed; all motion is relative to the observer's frame of reference. Understanding these principles is essential for engineering and physics studies.
Bahaa Azzam
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Hello.

Out of nowhere i started wondering about relativity, I got some question that made me curios.

If we have 2 cars on the road, car A moving at speed 110, car B moving at speed 120 , if car B touched ( hit or tagged ) car A.
Will it be the same impact or the damage done if car A was at speed 30 and car B at speed 40 ?
Considering the two cars are identical.

Im just a second year engineering student, didn't study much physics yet.
 
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The answer is yes. In both cases you could choose a reference frame where one car had speed zero and the other car speed 10.

Motion is relative. There is no such thing as absolute speed.
 
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