Final answer:
Kinetic energy is the energy a moving object possesses, and it can be calculated using the formula KE = 1/2mv². Potential energy is the stored energy due to an object's position. Mechanical energy is the sum of both kinetic and potential energy. The correct answer is option A. kinetic energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The energy possessed by a moving object is called kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is defined as the energy an object has because of its motion, which means any object that is moving has kinetic energy. The formula to calculate kinetic energy (KE) is KE = ½mv², where 'm' represents the mass and 'v' represents the velocity of the moving object. Examples of objects with kinetic energy include anything from a moving vehicle, a spinning turbine, or even molecules moving in the air as thermal energy is also a type of kinetic energy due to the motion of atoms and molecules within a substance.
Potential energy, on the other hand, is sometimes referred to as stored energy. It is the energy that an object has as a result of its position or state. A common type of potential energy is gravitational potential energy, which an object has due to its position relative to the Earth or another object in space.
Mechanical energy is a term that encompasses both kinetic and potential energy. The Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy states that in an isolated system (without external forces like friction or air resistance), the total mechanical energy remains constant, even as energy is transformed from potential to kinetic form and vice versa.