Final answer:
The kinetic energy of a World War II-era Sherman M4 medium tank traveling at its top speed of 39 km/h, with a mass of 30,300 kg, is approximately 1,774,365 Joules.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the kinetic energy of the World War II-era Sherman M4 medium tank traveling at its top speed, we use the formula for kinetic energy (KE) which is KE = ½ mv², where m is the mass of the object and v is the velocity.
In this case, the mass (m) of the tank is 30,300 kg and the top speed (v) is 39 km/h which needs to be converted to meters per second by multiplying by (1000 m/km) / (3600 s/h). The conversion equals 39,000 m / 3600 s, giving a top speed of approximately 10.83 m/s.
Substitute the values into the formula:
KE = ½ × 30,300 kg × (10.83 m/s)²
KE = 15,150 kg × 117.15 m²/s²
KE = 1,774,365 kg · m²/s²
KE = 1,774,365 Joules
The kinetic energy of the Sherman M4 tank when it is traveling at its top speed is therefore around 1,774,365 Joules.