VISUAL PHYSICS ONLINE

2 DYNAMICS

P20 010

A car travelling on a horizontal surface at velocity v collides with a crash barrier and comes off intact travelling at v / 3 as shown in the diagram. What percentage of the initial kinetic energy lost during the collision? Why is it not possible to calculate the loss in momentum during the collision in the same way that you calculated the loss in kinetic energy?

View solution below only after you have completed the answering the question.

Solution