Final answer:
The kinetic energy of a Sherman M4 medium tank with a mass of 30,300 kg traveling at a top speed of 39 km/h is approximately 1.78 million joules, after converting the speed to meters per second and applying the kinetic energy formula.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject question asks for the calculation of kinetic energy of a Sherman M4 medium tank at top speed. Kinetic energy (KE) is given by the formula KE = 1/2 mv², where 'm' is the mass and 'v' is the velocity of the object in question. Given that the Sherman M4 tank has a mass of 30,300 kg and a top speed of 39 km/h (which needs to be converted to meters per second), we can find its kinetic energy when traveling at this speed.
First, we convert the speed from km/h to m/s: 39 km/h = (39,000 meters / 3600 seconds)
= 10.83 m/s.
Then, we plug the values into the kinetic energy formula:
KE = 1/2 mv² = 1/2 (30,300 kg)(10.83 m/s)² = 1/2 (30,300 kg)(117.2889 m²/s²)
= 1,777,150.415 J.
Therefore, the kinetic energy of the tank at top speed is approximately 1.78 million joules.