Question

1. if a bicycle and a massive truck have a head - on collision, upon which vehicle is the impact force greater?--->which vehicle undergoes the greater change in acceleration? why?

Explanation:

According to Newton's third law of motion, when two objects collide, the force exerted by one object on the other is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. So, the impact force on both the bicycle and the truck is the same.

For acceleration, we use Newton's second law \(F = ma\), which can be rewritten as \(a=\frac{F}{m}\). Since \(F\) (the impact force) is the same for both, and the mass \(m\) of the bicycle is much smaller than that of the truck. A smaller mass \(m\) in the formula \(a = \frac{F}{m}\) (when \(F\) is constant) results in a larger acceleration \(a\).

Answer:

• Impact force: The impact force on both the bicycle and the truck is the same.
• Acceleration change: The bicycle undergoes a greater change in acceleration. Because from \(a=\frac{F}{m}\), with \(F\) (impact force) being equal (Newton's third law) and the mass \(m\) of the bicycle being much smaller than that of the truck, a smaller \(m\) gives a larger \(a\).