Ms. Smith is driving her car to the store. She drives on a street where the speed limit is 35 mph. Then she turns onto a street where the speed limit is 30 mph. What happens to the kinetic energy of her car?(1 point)

Question

Responses

When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy is changed to potential energy.
When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy is changed to potential energy.

When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy increases.
When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy increases.

When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy stays the same.
When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy stays the same.

When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy decreases.
When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy decreases.

Answer 1

When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car’s kinetic energy decreases.

Kinetic energy is calculated using the formula:

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

where \( m \) is the mass of the object and \( v \) is its velocity. When the speed decreases from 35 mph to 30 mph, the kinetic energy also decreases because it is directly related to the square of the velocity.