[trackgirlee]

would a car with most momentum penetrate most deeply into an array of fitch barriers? I think so but am not sure. Also, out of these two cars which occupants would sustain worst injuries?
car 1-mass=1200 kg, velocity=50 km/h
car 2-mass=1500 kg, velocity=40 km/h

and finally!.

if running into a concrete barrier instead of fitch barriers, would a car with most momentum, most mass, or most velocity be the most badly wrecked? Again I think it's momentum. But just want to make sure! :p

[Capuchin]

Hi!

I believe that in order to work out the injuries of the occupants, you need to take into account the momentum of the passengers, rather than the momentum in the car.

I hope that makes the solution obvious now!

As for car wreckage, this is all about impulse, which is change of momentum. So they would sustain equal ammounts of force. However the heavier car is more likely to be built sturdier! I guess you aren't required to take this into account :)

[trackgirlee]

Thanks so much!

[asterisk_man]

What about this, if the ratio of the car mass to the barrier mass was large enough the deceleration would be negligible and virtually no damage would occur.