If you double the speed of a vehicle how much does the force in a crash increase by?

emnehefteye4

emnehefteye4

Answered question

2023-01-09

If you double the speed of a vehicle how much does the force in a crash increase by?

Answer & Explanation

olgalumyblog83d

olgalumyblog83d

Beginner2023-01-10Added 10 answers

In a collision, a vehicle's force is determined by its impulse, which is a gauge of its change in momentum. Ordinarily, the momentum has a high initial value before the collision and zero after it.
The impulse is given by I=Ft, so the force will be given by F=It
We can rewrite this as: "The impulse will be the change in momentum, from p=mv to p=0."
F=mvt
If we double the velocity, we go from v to 2v, so the expression changes to:
F=m×2vt
Although it appears that the force is simply doubled, keep in mind that a faster-moving vehicle will probably cause the collision to happen sooner. Because of how the car crumples, this is not a straightforward 1:1 relationship, but if it were, the time would be halved:
F=m×2v12t
If so, there would be a fourfold increase in the force.
Jace Nelson

Jace Nelson

Beginner2023-01-11Added 4 answers

We know that W=Fd and W=ΔKE. We can set ΔKE equal to Fd.
We also know that KE=(12)(m)(v)2:
(12)(m)(v)2=Fd
Solve for F:
F=(12)(m)(v)2d
Speed is just v's absolute value. Doubling in will result in:
FN=(12)(m)(2v)2d
Remove the 2 from the fraction by squaring it. Leave (12)(m)(v)2d as it is. You will see why:
FN=4((12)(m)(2v)2d)
We can use F=(12)(m)(v)2d to plug into the equation we just made:
FN=4F
Therefore, doubling the speed will result in a fourfold increase in force.

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