Home › AP Physics 1 › Physics › Momentum, Impulse and Collisions › In a two-car collision, the changes in the two c…
In a two-car collision, the changes in the two cars' momenta:
AAlways add to zero
BAlways add to double
CBoth come out positive
DBoth come out negative
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Always add to zero
1. Newton's third law makes the two forces equal and opposite.
2. They also act for the same duration, since a collision involves both cars at once.
3. Because the changes in momentum add to zero, the total momentum of the two-car system is constant.
4. One car slows down and loses momentum while the other speeds up and gains it.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 8 'Linear Momentum and Collisions', sections 8.1-8.7_
Related questions
A tennis ball hit by a racquet also experiences a 0.56 newton force of gravity, which is eThe ballistocardiograph worked by detecting the body's recoil when the heart:A ball striking a wall at an angle keeps one momentum component unchanged and reverses:A ball striking a wall head-on and bouncing straight back exerts a force on the wall, and Football coaches advise players to tackle with their feet on the ground rather than leapinA jellyfish moves by filling its umbrella with water and then:In projectile motion with negligible air resistance, momentum is conserved:When a player runs into a goalpost and bounces back, momentum is conserved because: