Two city buses are traveling at 24 miles per hour. The buses are the same model and year. One bus has 30 passengers. The other bus has 12 passengers. Which is the best prediction?(1 point)

Question

Responses

The buses’ kinetic energies will depend on their routes.
The buses’ kinetic energies will depend on their routes.

The bus with 30 passengers will have less kinetic energy.
The bus with 30 passengers will have less kinetic energy.

The bus with 12 passengers will have less kinetic energy.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

The bus with 12 passengers will have less kinetic energy.

Kinetic energy (KE) is given by the formula KE = 0.5 * m * v^2, where m is the mass and v is the velocity. Since both buses are traveling at the same speed (24 miles per hour), the kinetic energy will depend on their mass, which includes the bus itself plus its passengers. The bus with 30 passengers will have more mass and therefore more kinetic energy than the bus with 12 passengers.