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valeriee
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This is not a homework problem - I am trying to understand the physics of something that happened to me. Scenario: two cars are stopped at a red light. Car #1 in front, and behind it is car #2. Car #3 comes up from behind, does not stop, and hits car 2, and car 2 in turn hits car 1. I am guessing that #3 hitting #2 follows f=ma. But what happens when car #1 is thrown into the mix? I am again guessing that car #1 is following the f=ma from the hit from car #2, but what happens to the forces put on #2 when it is hit from behind, then also gets the force from the impact from the front (from hitting car #1)? Does car #2 just end up getting f=ma twice, once from behind and once from the front? How is this related to the classic egg drop experiment, when you drop the egg on a pillow it doesn't crack but you drop in on a cement floor and it breaks?
And one other thing for all you car experts - I've heard there is something called a crumple zone where part of the force of the impact is distributed through the body of the car. How much force is this able to absorb - a lot? A little?
And one other thing for all you car experts - I've heard there is something called a crumple zone where part of the force of the impact is distributed through the body of the car. How much force is this able to absorb - a lot? A little?