Question

A lion cub and an adult lion are running across a field at the same speed. The lion cub has half the mass of the adult lion. How does the kinetic energy of the lion cub compare to the kinetic energy of the adult lion?

A. The cub has a quarter the kinetic energy of the adult.
B. The cub has half the kinetic energy of the adult.
C. The cub has twice the kinetic energy of the adult.
D. The cub has four times the kinetic energy of the adult.

Answer 1

The lion cub has a quarter the kinetic energy of the adult.

Step-by-step explanation:

Kinetic energy is given by the equation:

KE = 1/2 * m * v^2

where KE is the kinetic energy, m is the mass of the object, and v is the velocity of the object.

Since the lion cub has half the mass of the adult lion, its kinetic energy can be calculated as follows:

KE_cub = 1/2 * (1/2 * m) * v^2 = 1/4 * m * v^2

Therefore, the kinetic energy of the lion cub is a quarter of the kinetic energy of the adult lion.