When the speed of a motor vehicle doubles, the amount of kinetic energy:

When the speed of a motor vehicle doubles, the amount of kinetic energy:

• A. Is not affected.
• B. Quadruples.
• C. Triples.
• D. Doubles.

Answer: (B)

When the speed of a motor vehicle doubles, the kinetic energy of the vehicle quadruples due to the formula for kinetic energy, which is expressed as KE = 1/2 mv², where m is the mass of the vehicle and v is its velocity. In this formula, the kinetic energy is directly related to the square of the velocity. This means that if the speed (v) increases, the kinetic energy does not just increase linearly. Instead, it is impacted by the square of the velocity. For instance, if the initial speed is v, the kinetic energy at that speed is proportional to v². If the speed then doubles to 2v, the new kinetic energy is calculated as follows: KE_new = 1/2 m(2v)² = 1/2 m(4v²) = 4(1/2 mv²). Thus, the new kinetic energy is four times the original, illustrating that when the speed doubles, the kinetic energy quadruples. This substantial increase emphasizes the effects of speed on kinetic energy in high-velocity scenarios, which is crucial for EMTs and emergency response situations where understanding vehicle dynamics may be necessary.

When the speed of a motor vehicle doubles, the kinetic energy of the vehicle quadruples due to the formula for kinetic energy, which is expressed as KE = 1/2 mv², where m is the mass of the vehicle and v is its velocity.

In this formula, the kinetic energy is directly related to the square of the velocity. This means that if the speed (v) increases, the kinetic energy does not just increase linearly. Instead, it is impacted by the square of the velocity.

For instance, if the initial speed is v, the kinetic energy at that speed is proportional to v². If the speed then doubles to 2v, the new kinetic energy is calculated as follows:

KE_new = 1/2 m(2v)² = 1/2 m(4v²) = 4(1/2 mv²).

Thus, the new kinetic energy is four times the original, illustrating that when the speed doubles, the kinetic energy quadruples. This substantial increase emphasizes the effects of speed on kinetic energy in high-velocity scenarios, which is crucial for EMTs and emergency response situations where understanding vehicle dynamics may be necessary.