The kinetic energy of a golf ball is measured to be 1433 J. If the golf ball has a mass of about 47.0 g, what is

the ball’s speed?

1 answer

To find the speed of the golf ball given its kinetic energy (KE), we can use the formula for kinetic energy:

\[ KE = \frac{1}{2} m v^2 \]

where:

  • \( KE \) is kinetic energy,
  • \( m \) is the mass of the object,
  • \( v \) is the velocity (speed) of the object.

Rearranging the formula to solve for \( v \):

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{2 \times KE}{m}} \]

We know that:

  • The kinetic energy \( KE = 1433 , J \)
  • The mass \( m = 47.0 , g = 0.047 , kg \) (we need to convert grams to kilograms).

Substituting the values into the formula:

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{2 \times 1433 , J}{0.047 , kg}} \]

Calculating the expression:

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{2866 , J}{0.047 , kg}} \]

\[ v = \sqrt{61,130.43 , \text{m}^2/\text{s}^2} \]

\[ v \approx 247.15 , \text{m/s} \]

Therefore, the speed of the golf ball is approximately 247.15 m/s.