Question

Mark is conducting an experiment to show how an object’s kinetic energy is affected by its mass and velocity. First, he lets an empty wagon roll down a hill and calculates its kinetic energy. Next, he repeats the experiment after placing a bag of sand in the wagon. Which is the best prediction for the second part of his experiment?(1 point)
Responses

The wagon will have less velocity than when it was empty.
The wagon will have less velocity than when it was empty.

The wagon will have the same amount of kinetic energy as when it was empty.
The wagon will have the same amount of kinetic energy as when it was empty.

The wagon will have more kinetic energy than when it was empty.
The wagon will have more kinetic energy than when it was empty.

The wagon will have less kinetic energy than when it was empty.

Answer 1

The wagon will have more kinetic energy than when it was empty.

Reason: With the bag of sand the wagon has greater mass, so it starts with more gravitational potential energy (mgh) that is converted to kinetic energy as it rolls down. Even if its speed is the same, KE = 1/2 m v^2 increases with mass.