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Energy released in a car crash grows exponentially?
1) True
2) False

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The energy released in a car crash does not grow exponentially; kinetic energy increases quadratically with speed, explaining the severity of high-speed collisions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that energy released in a car crash grows exponentially is false. The energy involved in a car crash does not grow exponentially but is more accurately described by classical mechanics as kinetic energy, which is proportional to the velocity squared. This relationship means that if a car's speed doubles, its kinetic energy quadruples, which contributes to the severity of a high-speed collision. During a collision, the kinetic energy is converted into other forms of energy, such as heat, sound, and the energy required to deform the cars, not exponentially increasing energy.

User Sanjay Kumar Singh
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