Question

Two identical masses are moving down a slope one masses traveling twice as fast as the other mass how does the kinetic energy of one mass compared to the other

Answer 1

One mass's kinetic energy is 4 times the other.

Explanation:

The formula for kinetic energy is
`KE=(1)/(2)mv^2`

Where

KE is the kinetic energy

m is the mass

v is the velocity

• Now, let mass of the first be m (second is identical so mass of 2nd is m as well)
• Let velocity of the first one be v. Since 2nd one is travelling twice as fast, its velocity will be 2v

KE of 1st mass is:

`(1)/(2)mv^2`

KE of 2nd mass is:

`(1)/(2)m(2v)^2\\=(1)/(2)m(4v^2)\\=(1)/(2)mv^2 * 4`

Hence, the kinetic energy of the 2nd mass is 4 times the first.