Final answer:
The mechanical energy of the 225.6 g air track car with a velocity of 0.2453 m/s is the car's kinetic energy. After conversion and calculation, the kinetic energy is approximately 6.78 × 10⁻³ J, which is nearest to option (c) 5.70 × 10⁻² joules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked about finding the mechanical energy of an air track car with a given velocity. Mechanical energy in the context of a moving object like an air track car generally refers to kinetic energy since the question does not mention any heights from which potential energy can be considered. To calculate the kinetic energy (which is the form of mechanical energy for moving objects), you can use the kinetic energy formula: KE = ½ × m × v², where m is the mass in kilograms and v is the velocity in meters per second.
First, convert the mass of the air track car from grams to kilograms by dividing by 1000: 225.6 g / 1000 = 0.2256 kg. Then plug in the values into the formula: KE = 0.5 × 0.2256 kg × (0.2453 m/s)². After calculation, we find the kinetic energy of the air track car to be approximately 6.78 × 10⁻³ J or 0.00678 J, which is closest to option (c) 5.70 × 10⁻² joules.