Question

What is the impulse of a 20 kg car that is traveling 30 m/s, hitting an another car and slowing down to 10 m/s? How long did it take the car to stop if it had an applied force of 200N acting on it?

Answer 1

To find the impulse of the car, we can use the formula:

impulse = force x time

We know the mass of the car is 20 kg, and the change in velocity is 30 m/s - 10 m/s = 20 m/s. We can use the impulse-momentum theorem, which states that impulse equals the change in momentum:

impulse = change in momentum = mass x change in velocity

So, impulse = 20 kg x 20 m/s = 400 Ns

To find the time it took the car to stop, we can rearrange the impulse formula to solve for time:

time = impulse / force

Plugging in the values, we get:

time = 400 Ns / 200 N = 2 seconds

Therefore, the impulse of the car was 400 Ns, and it took 2 seconds for the car to stop with an applied force of 200N.