Question

A big rig truck loses its breaks going down a steep highway. The truck has a mass of 36,200 kilograms and is traveling 78 miles per hour (34.8 meters per second). How much kinetic energy does the truck have when the driver turns into the deep gravel of an emergency ramp

Answer 1

The big rig truck with a mass of 36,200 kilograms traveling at 34.8 meters per second has a kinetic energy of approximately 21.9 megajoules (MJ) when entering the emergency ramp.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the kinetic energy of a big rig truck with a mass of 36,200 kilograms traveling down a steep highway at a speed of 78 miles per hour (34.8 meters per second), we use the kinetic energy formula KE = ½mv².

KE = ½ × 36,200 kg × (34.8 m/s)²
KE = ½ × 36,200 kg × 1,210.24 m²/s²
KE = ½ × 36,200 kg × 1,210.24 kg·m²/s²
KE = 18,100 kg × 1,210.24 m²/s²
KE = 21,905,344 J or 21.9 MJ

The truck has a kinetic energy of 21,905,344 joules, or approximately 21.9 megajoules (MJ), when the driver turns into the deep gravel of an emergency ramp.