A car of mass m traveling at a velocity of 20m/s east on a straight level road and a truck of mass 2m travelling at 20m/s west on the same road. ignore the effects of friction.

Question

calculate the velocity of the truck-car system immediately after collision.
On impact the car exerts a force of magnitude F on the truck and experiences an acceleration of magnitude a.
Determine, in terms of F, the magnitude of the force that the truck exerts on the car on impact and in terms of a, the acceleration that the truck experiences on impact.

Answer 1

Newtons third law:
Force a truck exerts on the car is -F (opposite direction from F).
Acceleration is -a/2 :(due to twice mass).