Why will kinetic energy increase if speed increases?

Kinetic energy is the energy of motion and is directly proportional to the square of an object's velocity. This means that as an object's speed increases, its kinetic energy will increase as well. This relationship is described by the equation: KE = 1/2 * m * v^2, where KE is kinetic energy, m is mass, and v is velocity. Therefore, an increase in speed will result in a greater kinetic energy because the velocity term is squared in the equation.