Monday, December 8, 2008

21. If an object’s speed is doubled, how does its Kinetic Energy change?

Hello!


For an object with a mass `m` and a speed `V` its kinetic energy is defined as


`E_k=m V^2/2.`


So if a speed is doubled, `V_1=2V,` and a mass remains unchanged, then


`(E_k)_1=m (V_1)^2/2 = m (2V)^2/2=4*(m V^2/2)=4E_k.`



Thus the kinetic energy will be quadrupled (4 times greater than the original).

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