Question

You are testing a new car using crash test dummies. Consider two ways to slow the car from 90 km/h (56 mi/h) to a complete stop:

i) You let the car slam into a wall, bringing it to a sudden stop.
ii) You let the car plow into a giant tub of gelatin so that it comes to a gradual halt.
In which case is there a greater impulse of the net force on the car?
(Prove and select below.)
a) in case (i).
b) in case (ii).
c) The impulse is the same in both cases.
d) The impulse of the first case > the impulse of the second case.
e) The impulse of the first case < the impulse of the second case.

Answer 1

c) The impulse is the same in both cases.

Step-by-step explanation:

What drives the car is the amount of movement of the car during its journey. In this case, we can consider that in the car, presented in the question above, the movement is generated through speed and friction on the track, the impact that makes the car stop, is not part of the movement and therefore, not part of the impulse. In the two situations presented, the speed of the car is the same, the same car and the same track were also used, which shows us that the impulse, in both situations, is the same.