A car with a mass of 1,500 kg is driving at 20 m/s. What is the kinetic energy of the car?

300,000 J
15,000 J
30,000 J
150,000 J

1 answer

The kinetic energy (KE) of an object can be calculated using the formula:

\[ KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 \]

where:

  • \( m \) is the mass of the object (in kg),
  • \( v \) is the velocity of the object (in m/s).

In this case:

  • \( m = 1500 \) kg,
  • \( v = 20 \) m/s.

Now, let's calculate the kinetic energy:

\[ KE = \frac{1}{2} \times 1500 , \text{kg} \times (20 , \text{m/s})^2 \] \[ KE = \frac{1}{2} \times 1500 \times 400 \] \[ KE = \frac{1}{2} \times 600000 \] \[ KE = 300000 , \text{J} \]

Thus, the kinetic energy of the car is 300,000 J.