What has a smaller stopping distance?

Question

Can a heavier car stop in a shorter distance than a lighter car?

Answer 1

lets say that the heaver car has great brakes and the lighter one has none then i would say yes.

there are lots of facts that could be twisted to fit your needs.

Answer 2

THIS IS SO COOL :::TRY THE LINK FOR EXPERIMENT::::WILL REALLY HELP:::It is about friction:

No difference as long as the same speed, and dry road. please click the link below for this experiment it is a lot of fun.http://www.fearofphysics.com/cgi-bin/fri...

Answer 3

No, a lighter car will stop faster (in theory) due to KE = 1/2 MV^2

Basically, with velocity being equal, and the only difference being mass, the heavier car has more kinetic energy and thus is harder to stop. However, if the heavier car has better brakes/tires/etc, then it will have an advantage. It sort of depends on the situation

Answer 4

lighter. thats why trailer trucks take so long to stop, and motorcycles stop fast as h**l.

Answer 5

i would think the heavier the car, the longer the stopping distance? but thats just me.

Answer 6

A heavier car can stop in a shorter distance than a lighter car depending on the make of the car, like if one car has really good brakes, and the other has terrible brakes. But if the cars have identical breaks, the lighter car will stop first because it has less momentum, so it will require less energy to stop.

Answer 7

Aside from braking systems and friction and all that, if the cars are made out of the same material, meaning if the heavier car is heavier because there is more mass, then Newton's law will states that the heavier car has more inertia, causing the lighter car to stop before the heavier one.

Answer 8

YES

velocity and mechanical malfunction are two variables that could make it so

Answer 9

This would depend on the amount of traction each car has and the amount of force acting against the car. Generally, the smaller car stops shorter because it's lighter weight requires less force to stop it.