How Do Relative Velocities Affect Collision Impact?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 2K views
Bahaa Azzam
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
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.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
:welcome:

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.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Bahaa Azzam