How does Newton's second law apply to a car crash?

1 Answer
Callum S.
Dec 16, 2015

The force of a crash increases when either the mass or the acceleration increases.

Explanation:

Newton's second law, #F=ma#, states that the force of something is directly proportional to both the mass and the acceleration of a moving object.

This means that if either of these two variables increase, then the overall force applied to the object in question will also be increased. Thus, if a car that weighs 2000kg accelerates with a speed of 60mph, the net force when it crashes will be greater than the net force when a car of mass 1000kg, and travelling at a speed of only 30mph.

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