A large truck and a small car are moving at the same speed, traveling up and down hills, and over bumpy roads. Which one has more kinetic energy?

Responses

The car has more kinetic energy because it moves fast down hills.
The truck has less kinetic energy because it has greater mass.
The truck has more kinetic energy because it has a greater mass.
The car and truck have the same kinetic energy.

The truck has more kinetic energy because it has a greater mass.

The truck has more kinetic energy because it has a greater mass.

The correct answer is: The truck has more kinetic energy because it has a greater mass.

To understand why, we need to recall the formula for kinetic energy, which is given by: KE = 1/2 * m * v^2 (where KE is the kinetic energy, m is the mass, and v is the velocity).

In this scenario, we are told that both the large truck and the small car are moving at the same speed. So, the velocity term (v) is the same for both.

However, since the truck has a greater mass compared to the car, the mass term (m) in the kinetic energy formula will be larger for the truck. As a result, the truck will have more kinetic energy.

To summarize, the truck has more kinetic energy because it has a greater mass, even though both vehicles are moving at the same speed.