Question

Two trucks, one lightly loaded and one heavily loaded are moving at the same speed. Then, which truck is easier to stop?

Answer 1

Momentum:

1. Momentum can be expressed as the tendency of a body to continue its motion.
2. In order to stop a body from motion, the momentum needs to be zero.
3. The momentum of a body can be expressed as follows:

$P=mv$

Here, $P$ is the momentum, $m$ is the mass, and $v$ is the velocity.

Hence, momentum is directly proportional to the mass, and the velocity of the body.

Step 1: Calculation of momentum for the lightly loaded truck

$P_1=m_1{v}_1$

Here, $P_1$ is the momentum, $m_1$ is the mass, and $v_1$ is the velocity for the lightly loaded truck.

Step 2: Calculation of momentum for the heavily loaded truck

$P_2=m_2{v}_2$

Here, $P_2$ is the momentum, $m_2$ is the mass, and $v_2$ is the velocity for the heavily loaded truck.

Since the speed of the trucks is the same $(i.e{v}_1=v_2)$, the momentum of the trucks will depend upon the mass.

Since $m_2>m_1$

Therefore, $P_2>P_1$

Hence, The heavily loaded truck will have more momentum and will be difficult to stop.

Therefore, the lightly loaded truck will be easier to stop.