A large truck collides head-on with a small car. The car is severely damaged as a result of the collision. According to Newton's third law, how do the forces acting between the truck and car compare during the collision

Question

Physics

Winston Osborn

5 May, 20:43

A large truck collides head-on with a small car. The car is severely damaged as a result of the collision. According to Newton's third law, how do the forces acting between the truck and car compare during the collision

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Cochran · Answer 1

Answer: Force on the truck is equal to force on the car.

Explanation: According to the Newton's third law of motion which states that; For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. These pair of forces are regarded as action - reaction forces. These size or magnitude of the forces on the colliding objects are equal or the same, while the direction of the colliding objects are opposite.

In the scenario above, both truck and carry have the same mass, however, the damage suffered by the car is based on its smaller mass which makes it unable to withstand the acceleration resulting from the collision.

ma = m (-a)

m = mass, a = acceleration