An airplane carries 320 passengers from Phoenix to Los Angeles flying at an average speed of 490 miles per hour. On the return flight, the plane carries 164 passengers and travels at the same average speed. What happens to the plane’s kinetic energy?(1 point) Responses The plane’s kinetic energy is the same on both flights. The plane’s kinetic energy is the same on both flights. The plane’s kinetic energy is changed to potential energy when it lands. The plane’s kinetic energy is changed to potential energy when it lands. On the return flight, the plane has less kinetic energy. On the return flight, the plane has less kinetic energy. On the return flight, the plane has more kinetic energy. On the return flight, the plane has more kinetic energy.

Question

GPT-4o mini · Answer

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

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

where \( KE \) is the kinetic energy, \( m \) is the mass of the object, and \( v \) is its velocity.

In this scenario, the speed (velocity) of the airplane remains the same (490 miles per hour) for both flights. Therefore, the kinetic energy will depend on the mass of the airplane, which includes the mass of the plane itself and the mass of the passengers.

On the return flight, although the number of passengers is reduced (from 320 to 164), the mass of the airplane (without passengers) remains constant. This means that the overall mass of the airplane during the return flight is lower compared to the flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles.

Since kinetic energy is proportional to mass (given the same speed), the return flight will indeed have less kinetic energy because the total mass (plane + passengers) is decreased.

Thus, the correct response is:

On the return flight, the plane has less kinetic energy.