What does an object’s kinetic energy depend on?(1 point)
Responses
its speed and trajectory
its mass and speed
its potential energy
its weight and speed
(1/2) m v^2 is mass and speed
An object's kinetic energy depends on its mass and speed.
To understand why, let's break it down step by step.
1. First, recall that kinetic energy is the energy possessed by a moving object. It refers to the energy associated with an object's motion.
2. The formula for calculating kinetic energy is: KE = 0.5 * mass * velocity^2, where KE represents kinetic energy, mass represents the object's mass, and velocity represents the object's speed.
3. As you can see from the formula, both mass and velocity play a crucial role in determining the kinetic energy of an object. The larger the mass of the object, the greater its kinetic energy will be. Additionally, the greater the speed or velocity of the object, the higher its kinetic energy will be.
Let's consider an example: Imagine two identical balls, one moving at a slow speed and another moving at a high speed. Even though both balls have the same mass, the one moving at a higher speed will have a greater kinetic energy because the velocity is squared in the kinetic energy formula.
So, the correct answer is: an object's kinetic energy depends on its mass and speed.