Gordon Blvd Wrote:
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> @Kardinal - only if that telephone pole or tree is
> doing 35 MPH too LoLz - no, my friend..........not
> the same thing at all.........
Yes, they are the same thing. Lrn2Physics.
When two things collide, the overall energy is divided between the two. A car is designed to be far more compressible than a tree, pole, or wall, so it absorbs a great deal of the energey. Non-compressible objects like trees, poles, and walls do not absorb any of the energy, so it all goes into the car that hits them.
Basically, if two of the same cars of the same mass and compressibility hit each other head-on going 100mph, it's EXACTLY the same as one of those cars hitting a wall going 100mph. The only differences are when one car is more massive or less compressible than the other. That's why if one of them is a bus or a rig, it's MUCH worse for the car they hit, because the overall energy is much higher, and the larger vehicle is far better able to absorb that energy than the smaller.
Reference:
http://physics.about.com/od/energyworkpower/f/energyforcediff.htm
And Mythbusters #143.