An athlete is practicing shotput using a 16-pound shot, and he throws it 40 feet. He then uses a 12-pound shot and throws it 50 feet. in 3-4 sentences, explain why there is a difference in these throws using the ideas of mass and speed and how each relates to kinetic energy.

Answer 1

The mass of an object is a measure of its inertia, while speed is a measure of the rate at which an object covers distance. When the athlete throws the 16-pound shot, it requires more force to overcome its inertia, resulting in a lower speed and therefore lower kinetic energy compared to the 12-pound shot thrown at a higher speed. This difference in mass and speed affects the kinetic energy, as kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of an object's speed and indirectly proportional to its mass.