Use the table of information to answer the question.

Fruit Mass (kg) Speed (m/s)
Watermelon A 4 2
Watermelon B 4 4

Two watermelons fall off a kitchen counter. The masses and speeds of the fruits are in the table. How do the kinetic and/or the potential ebergies of the fruits compare?

A. Both fruits have only potential energy and no kenetic energy.
B. The watermelon A has more kenetic energy.
C. Both fruits have the same kenetic and potential energy.
D. The watermelon B has more kinetic.

1 answer

The potential energy of an object is given by the formula PE = mgh, where m is the mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height. Since the height is not given in the table, we cannot compare the potential energies of the fruits.

However, the kinetic energy of an object is given by the formula KE = 0.5mv^2, where m is the mass and v is the velocity or speed. Comparing the speeds of the watermelons, we see that Watermelon B has a higher speed than Watermelon A. Therefore, according to the formula for kinetic energy, Watermelon B will have more kinetic energy.

So, the correct answer is:

D. The watermelon B has more kinetic energy.