If two identical cars are both travelling 60 mph and they meet head-on, what is the force upon impact?
2007-04-15 19:26:06 · 12 answers · asked by CKRT SQRL 5 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
A big bang theory?
2007-04-17 07:41:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Closing speed would be 120 mph. In order to calculate the force, or more precisely, the momentum of the impact, you would have to know how much each vehicle weighted including all passengers, cargo, etc. in example, if vehicle one weights 5000 lbs then traveling at 60 mph it has 300,000 lbs-mph of momentum, vehicle two weighting in at 3500 lbs traveling at 60 mph has 210,000lbs-mph of momentum. combined momentum at impact=510,000 lbs-mph. Most likely fatal.
2007-04-16 18:28:09 · answer #2 · answered by crashguy351 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
120 mph combined, BUT the force will equal the weight of each vehicle times 60 mph
2007-04-16 02:40:03 · answer #3 · answered by jim b 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Enough to kill your *** thats for sure. Put it this way, the impact of hitting a still object like a person or a tree is horrible going that fast. Add another car going at another car that fast, its deadly. Sorry I dont have an exact figure, I just know that nobody would be walking away from it, unless you had one wicked roll cage.
2007-04-16 19:14:36 · answer #4 · answered by David K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It should be equivalent to one of the cars, traveling at 120 mph hitting the other car while it is parked.
2007-04-16 02:34:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the force upon impact?.... a really big mess, mostlikely fatal too. But the fist answer I think is the best answer.
2007-04-16 06:42:36 · answer #6 · answered by jana808 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the same force as hitting a solid object at 60mph because they both would have the same amount of crushing occur to them and in theory you could draw an imaginary wall between them both
2007-04-16 02:37:33 · answer #7 · answered by Jesk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Need to know their mass to calculate the force. Technically, what you're calculating is momentum, not force. :)
2007-04-16 02:30:03 · answer #8 · answered by Kasey C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this would be very messy with a conbined total inpact of 120mph
2007-04-23 13:40:08 · answer #9 · answered by Chris T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who cares?
2007-04-21 20:03:40 · answer #10 · answered by USA 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋