Kinetic energy increases as
a. mass increases and velocity decreases
b. mass decreases and velocity increases
c. both mass and velocity increase
d. both mass and velocity decrease
Ek = 0.5m*V^2.
Answer = C.
The correct answer is c. both mass and velocity increase.
To understand why kinetic energy increases when both mass and velocity increase, let's go through the equation for kinetic energy.
The formula for kinetic energy is K.E. = (1/2) * mass * velocity^2.
According to the equation, the kinetic energy is directly proportional to both the mass and the square of the velocity. This means that any increase in either the mass or the velocity will result in an increase in kinetic energy.
If only the mass increases, the kinetic energy will increase because it is directly proportional to mass. Similarly, if only the velocity increases, the kinetic energy will also increase as it is directly proportional to the square of the velocity.
However, when both the mass and velocity increase, the effect is amplified because both factors contribute to the energy. For example, doubling the mass will double the kinetic energy, and doubling the velocity will quadruple the kinetic energy. Hence, when both mass and velocity increase, the kinetic energy increases significantly.
To summarize, kinetic energy increases as both mass and velocity increase because the equation for kinetic energy is directly proportional to both mass and the square of the velocity.