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Home Minds On Work and Energy Mission WE3 Kinetic and Potential Energy Help Help 4

Mission WE3 Kinetic and Potential Energy

The Question

Which of the following variations will increase the kinetic energy of an object?

Formula Fix

The kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. The amount of kinetic energy (KE) possessed by an object depends upon its mass (m) and its speed (v). The formula for calculating the kinetic energy is
 
KE = 0.5 • m • v2.

Don't be Fooled

Many students become confused by height, speed, and kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is simply the energy of motion. The faster that an object moves, the greater its kinetic energy. Often times (but certainly not always) a decrease in height will correspond to an increase in speed and a subsequent increase in kinetic energy. But don't be fooled! This is not always the case. It is possible for an object to decrease its height at a constant speed - for instance, when climbing down a flight of stairs or descending on an elevator.

Think About It

The formula for kinetic energy is stated in the Formula Frenzy section. As expressed by the equation, kinetic energy depends upon the mass and the velocity. Any increase in these two quantities will lead to an increase in the amount of kinetic energy possessed by the object.

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