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MythBusters - Crash Force
Mythbusters crew decided to revisit an old myth that was drawing the ire of the show's fans for quite some time. And it's sure to be an interesting topic to automotive enthusiasts.
When two cars collide, each traveling 50 miles per hour, does the resulting force equal one car hitting an immovable object at 100 miles per hour?
It seems like such simple physics, no? But don't forget Newton's third law. To quote the great Wikipedia of knowledge, "Whenever a first body exerts a force F on a second body, the second body exerts a force −F on the first body. F and −F are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction." Or, more simply, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Wow! That was very interesting!!!
I too would of said a 50 mph head on collision would end up like a 100mph crash against a wall. Poor Daewoos.
wow thats awesome, I'm pretty sure I've had teachers in school explain that an accident in opposite directions the force adds together so two cars opposing at 50 would equal one at 100 into something solid.
very interesting stuff, I was surprised at the outcome, but the physics and math make sense once you think about it.
i would like to see them do that testting again except add in a varience in speeds betewen the two vehicles. like one at 75 and the other at 50 to see what the out come is. also a difference in size of vehicles with a difference in speeds would also be interesting. i predict in my first first senario that it averages out to equivalant of two vehicles coliding at a speed of 62.5.
sadly i agreed with the fans that for every action there is an equal opposite reaction. and expected to see what perspired.
Really? People honestly believe that two cars of equal mass and velocity colliding is equivalent to hitting an imovable object at twice the velocity. That's almost as dumbfounding as those who think an airplane can't take off on a treadmill.
MRThompson (jrthompson) wrote:i would like to see them do that testting again except add in a varience in speeds betewen the two vehicles. like one at 75 and the other at 50 to see what the out come is. also a difference in size of vehicles with a difference in speeds would also be interesting. i predict in my first first senario that it averages out to equivalant of two vehicles coliding at a speed of 62.5.
sadly i agreed with the fans that for every action there is an equal opposite reaction. and expected to see what perspired.
close... it's actually 63.7 mph
We use the conservation of Energy.
E_k = kinetic energy
m = mass
v = velocity
E_k1+E_k2=E_k3
1/2*m1*(v1)^2 + 1/2*m2*(v2)^2 = m3*(v3)^2
if m1=m2=m3, then
v3 = sqrt [ (v1)^2 + (v2)^2 ]
I have no signiture
Whalesac wrote:
v3 = sqrt [ (v1)^2 + (v2)^2 ]
Sorry, I meant
v3 = sqrt[ 1/2*((V1)^2 + (V2)^2) ]
I have no signiture
Hmm...what the bald guy said the first time is
somewhat true. What they forgot to state is that both cars are absorbing some of that energy, but the total amount of energy is still there. IF you were to have a brick wall moving at 50mph and a car moving at 50mph and they collide, and the brick wall does not crumble or distort (absorb any energy) and does not bounce back and remains 100% stationary at impact (impossible, but theoretically), then the car will have sustained an impact equivalent of 100mph.
Mythbusted semi-rebusted.
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- Sold my beloved J in April 2010 -
Viper98912 wrote:Hmm...what the bald guy said the first time is somewhat true. What they forgot to state is that both cars are absorbing some of that energy, but the total amount of energy is still there. IF you were to have a brick wall moving at 50mph and a car moving at 50mph and they collide, and the brick wall does not crumble or distort (absorb any energy) and does not bounce back and remains 100% stationary at impact (impossible, but theoretically), then the car will have sustained an impact equivalent of 100mph.
Mythbusted semi-rebusted.
^this
Either way the whole reason this worked is because both vehicles were the same and had the similar mass, Would have been interesting to see how big one of the vehicles had to be to make the other look like it crashed into a wall at hundo but both still going 50
