If the velocity of an object doubles, what happens to its kinetic energy?
Practice Questions
Q1
If the velocity of an object doubles, what happens to its kinetic energy?
It remains the same
It doubles
It quadruples
It halves
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the velocity of an object doubles, what happens to its kinetic energy?
Step 1: Understand the formula for kinetic energy, which is KE = 1/2 mv², where m is mass and v is velocity.
Step 2: Identify what happens when the velocity (v) of the object doubles. If v becomes 2v, we need to substitute this into the formula.
Step 3: Substitute the new velocity into the kinetic energy formula: KE = 1/2 m(2v)².
Step 4: Calculate (2v)², which equals 4v².
Step 5: Now the kinetic energy formula looks like this: KE = 1/2 m(4v²).
Step 6: Simplify the equation: KE = 2 mv², which is 4 times the original kinetic energy (since the original KE was 1/2 mv²).
Step 7: Conclude that when the velocity doubles, the kinetic energy increases by a factor of 4.
Kinetic Energy – Kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion, calculated using the formula KE = 1/2 mv², where m is mass and v is velocity.
Effect of Velocity on Kinetic Energy – Kinetic energy is proportional to the square of the velocity, meaning that if velocity doubles, kinetic energy increases by a factor of four.