Question

Predict how the strength of the force between the cars changes when the wedges are taken away and the cars are allowed to move. Justify your prediction.

Answer 1

The total momentum of the cars will stay the same before and after the collision, according to the conservation of momentum, assuming no external forces. The strength of the force in the collision will depend on the cars' mass and velocity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The strength of the force between two objects that are allowed to move, such as cars after the removal of wedges, would depend on the nature of the force acting between them. In the scenario provided, when one car bumps into another, the force of the collision will cause one car to slow down while the other car speeds up. This exchange is governed by the law of conservation of momentum, which states that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant if no external forces are acting on it.

1. In the case of the cars, the total momentum of the system before the collision will be equal to the total momentum after the collision. This is because momentum is conserved during the collision when external forces like friction are negligible. Therefore, even though the individual momenta of the cars change, the vector sum of their momenta remains the same. As far as the strength of the force during the collision, it will be determined by the mass and velocity of the cars at the moment of impact. Larger mass or higher velocity will result in a stronger force during the collision.