Question

Two cars both weighing 1,000lbs are driving down the highway. Car #1 is traveling 60mph while Car #2 is traveling 70mph. How does the kinetic energy between the two compare

Answer 1

The answer would be:

Car 2 has a greater kinetic energy than Car 1.

Here's why:

Kinetic energy is directly proportional to the mass and square of the velocity of an object. The formula is:

$KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^{2}$

Where:

KE = Kinetic energy

m = mass

v = velocity

Because Car 2 is faster than Car 1, then it would mean that it has a greater kinetic energy than Car 1. What about the mass? The mass of the two cars are the same, so the difference would not be affected by it.