Asked by Julie

Read through the scenarios below and calculate the predicted change in kinetic energy of the object compared to a 100 kg ball traveling at 5 m/s.

A 1,000 kg ball traveling at 5 m/s would have
kinetic energy.

A 10 kg ball traveling at 5 m/s would have
kinetic energy.

A 100 kg person falling at 5 m/s would have
kinetic energy.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Kinetic energy formula: KE = 1/2 m v^2. For v = 5 m/s, v^2 = 25, so KE = 12.5 · m (J).

Baseline: 100 kg at 5 m/s → KE = 1,250 J.

1) 1,000 kg at 5 m/s → KE = 12,500 J. Change vs baseline = +11,250 J (10× the baseline, +900%).

2) 10 kg at 5 m/s → KE = 125 J. Change vs baseline = −1,125 J (0.1× the baseline, −90%).

3) 100 kg person falling at 5 m/s → KE = 1,250 J. Change vs baseline = 0 J (same as baseline).