if i get hit by a car going 80 miles per hour, would it be with the same force as if it were a mack truck?

Question

in other words, is mass a facter in the amount of force produced? or is getting hit with metal at 80 mph the only players in the equation?

Answer 1

Getting hit by a car traveling at 80 mph is not the same as getting hit by a big ("mack" / "semi") truck at 80 mph.
The difference is in the momentum each of the vehicles possesses.

Momentum (p) equals the product of the mass (m) of the object and the velocity (v).
p = mv

A big truck will have a much higher mass than a small car. Therefore, at the same velocity, the big truck will have a much higher momentum.

In a collision, momentum is always conserved.
Think of it as being hit with a grain of sand at 80 mph....you might barely notice it. Compare that with getting hit with a brick at 80 mph...You would probably be in need of serious medical attention if not dead.

The more momentum the object has, the more momentum needs to be conserved in the collision, meaning that more likely that not, it will apply a much higher force on you.
Just how much force and for what length of time will vary depending on the end results of the collision, but yes, mass is very much a factor in collisions.

Answer 2

If the car had the same front end as the truck, there would only be a negligle difference because both have a mass significantly greater than you do. ie, you would not slow the vehicle a lot. The peak force would be determined my how much your body crushes. Since cars have a front end lower than a truck however, the peak force from the truck would likely be greater because you'd splatter onto the front grill and bounce backward. In a car, the impact is often spread over two or three collisions, first the bumper, then the windshield, then the car's interior, or the pavement behind the car if you fly over the hood.

Answer 3

Mass is a factor in creating the total force.

Force = mass x velocity

So, a mack truck (let's say 8 times as big as a Volkswagen bug) going at 10 mph packs the same punch as a Volkswagen bug going 4 times that speed, 80 mph.

Answer 4

Mass is in direct relationship to force.

Force = Mass x Velocity (also expressed in acceleration and momentum) The SI unit is Newtons which has a speed and mass component to it.

So a mack truck is decidedly more forceful than a car going the same speed, though it may not matter because a car going 80 mph hitting a ped is enough to do the trick.

Answer 5

If you were hit by a ball of tin foil thrown at you would it be the same as being hit by a ball bearing thrown at you?
In this case however the important factor is the difference in mass, The car would slow down to about 79.5 mph as a result of the collision and the truck would slolw down to about 79.999 mph
in the case of the tin foil and the ball bearing they would transfer all of their kinetic energy to you. in the case of the car and the truck only a small fraction of their kinetic enrgy would be transfered the difference would be small.

Answer 6

To be able to answer the question, we would need to know how fast you are moving relative to the truck or car. (It's all relative.)

F = ma.
Force equals mass times acceleration.

If you're moving towards the car at 100 mph and away from the truck at 75 mph, you might hit the car with more force.

Answer 7

Yes, it would..
Both have more than enough mass to kill you the same..
Automobile, Mack Truck, Train, Airplane etc. etc..
You only see some difference when the mass starts
getting down around the same as your own personal mass...

Answer 8

i don't know about players but i know about the result of getting hit by ANY motor vehicle going 80 miles/hour
just joking

Answer 9

No, it would not be the same force.

The mass is a factor.

Answer 10

No since F = Ma