Question

What happens to an object's kinetic energy as its speed increases?

A. Kinetic energy decreases linearly with speed.
B. Kinetic energy remains constant regardless of speed.
C. Kinetic energy increases proportionally with the square of the speed.
D. Kinetic energy increases proportionally with the cube of the speed

Answer 1

Kinetic energy increases proportionally with the square of the speed (C).

Step-by-step explanation:

Kinetic energy increases proportionally with the square of the speed (C). When an object's speed increases, its kinetic energy increases exponentially. This can be understood by the formula for kinetic energy: KE = 0.5 * m * v^2, where KE is the kinetic energy, m is the mass of the object, and v is the velocity of the object. As the velocity increases, the square of the speed leads to a greater increase in kinetic energy.