What is Kinetic: Definition and 1000 Discussions

In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its motion.
It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes. The same amount of work is done by the body when decelerating from its current speed to a state of rest.
In classical mechanics, the kinetic energy of a non-rotating object of mass m traveling at a speed v is










1
2


m

v

2









{\displaystyle {\begin{smallmatrix}{\frac {1}{2}}mv^{2}\end{smallmatrix}}}
. In relativistic mechanics, this is a good approximation only when v is much less than the speed of light.
The standard unit of kinetic energy is the joule, while the English unit of kinetic energy is the foot-pound.

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  1. daisy7777

    Frames of Reference: Using tie-downs to hold a load on a flatbed truck

    I calculated the net force. I got 6500. I determined this is bigger than the force of static friction so the force of friction acting on the object must be kinetic. From there I got kinda lost. I know for the component to not slip Fnetx = 0 and Fnety = 0. But I'm not sure what to do from there...
  2. C

    I I'm calculating more energy out than I put in

    Hello everyone, I'm currently working on a physics problem involving the rotation of a 5 kilogram ##M=5## solid sphere subjected to a force of 5 newtons ##F=5##, and I've encountered an inconsistency in my calculations. I'm seeking guidance or insights into where I might have gone wrong. My...
  3. J

    Find out kinetic Energy using Rutherford Formula

    Hello everyone, I am working on this problem and I think I almost solved it, but then I noticed, that I do not know what values I have for dn, n and dθ. Can anyone help me with this?
  4. M

    Why kinetic energy of system of particles is not equal to p^2/2m

    It is good for the people who wants to know physics and it's beauty
  5. D

    I Spacecraft With Solar Mass Energy Equivalent Kinetic Energy

    Suppose in a different star system, a space shuttle sized spacecraft acquired a solar mass energy equivalent amount of kinetic energy, then passed through our solar system. While it was passing through the solar system would the craft’s gravitational effects be more similar to the space shuttle...
  6. physicsmaster123

    Work done by gravity on a car rolling down a hill

    I tried E =Fxcos0 but only ended up with 243kJ
  7. Govind

    Gibbs free energy of activation and activation energy

    Let's consider a reaction A (reactant) -> B(product) and activated complex is denoted by C. This graph ( potential energy vs reaction coordinate ) tells us that reactant need some amount of activation energy (Ea) to convert in product, which has low potential energy which is shown here in...
  8. C

    Work energy KE theorem for a book being lifted up in a gravitional field

    For this, From the work kinetic energy theorem, if we assume that the book and the earth is the system, and that the finial and inital speed of the system is zero, then is the work KE theorem there is no net work done on the system. However, clearly there is work done on the system is shown by...
  9. uSee2

    Kinetic Energy of a Cylinder Rolling Without Slipping

    Given that there is a cylinder rolling without slipping down an incline, the method I was taught to represent the KE of the cylinder was: ##KE_{total} = KE_{translational} + KE_{rotational}## ##KE_{total} = \frac {1} {2} mv_{cm}^2 + \frac1 2 I \omega^2## Where "cm" is the center of mass, and...
  10. KataruZ98

    Kinetic energy transfer from a rotating body in an inelastic collision

    The cylinder in question would have a moment of inertia of ~1.67kg*m² and rotational KE of 2.058J. At the point of impact also, assuming the body hits the sphere at a 90deg angle after traversing 90deg of displacement, it should(?) exert a force of 1.31N - enough to give an acceleration of...
  11. T

    Average Kinetic Energy of Electron in the Conduction Band

    Hello, I've seen in a few books on solid state physics that one can deduce an expression for average K.E.: $$<\:K.E.>\:=E_c+3/2\:k_B\:T$$ from the following: $$<\:K.E.>\:=\:\frac{\int \:\left(E-E_c\right)g\left(E\right)f\left(E\right)dE}{\int \:g\left(E\right)f\left(E\right)dE}$$ I can't...
  12. sinus

    I The kinetic energy of proton-electron for a black body

    I'm watching a video about " What is a black body?". That video said when the light interacts with the surface of a body, the electron and proton start oscillating. The electrons gain more transferred energy from the light that became its kinetic energy, rather than the proton because its mass...
  13. rogdal

    Deriving the kinetic energy flux in an effusion process

    I could not find any derivations in the litterature, except for the expected value of the energy flux expression itself: $$\overline{\Phi_{effusion,\epsilon}} = \overline{\dot{N_{ef}}}\overline{\epsilon_{ef}}=\frac{3Nl}{2A}\sqrt{\frac{(k_BT)^3}{2\pi m}}$$ I've started off by calculating the...
  14. KataruZ98

    Kinetic energy transfer from shockwave to secondary body

    I would guess that by multiplying the pressure exerted by the shockwave on the body, and then the resulting force - here ~69 Newtons - per the distance the shockwave passed through when traversing body A, I could get the work done but I’m not sure if it’s that easy and whether or not I should...
  15. Muu9

    Kinetic Energy / Potential Energy / Total Energy question

    W_ext is the external work done on B and C, which is 12 J Delta K_tot is the internal work, which is the work done by A on B plus the work done by A on C Delta K_tot = 5 Solving for \Delta U, we find that the change in potential energy is 7 J This answer says otherwise...
  16. J

    Expectation of Kinetic Energy for Deuteron

    Dear Forum, I am solving for the expectation value of the kinetic energy for the deuteron (Krane problem 4.3). I must be missing something since this has become far more complicated than I remember. The problem is as follows: ## <T> = \frac{\hbar^{2}}{2m} \int_{0}^{\infty}...
  17. V

    B Conflicting definition of degree of freedom in Kinetic Theory of Gases

    I am seeing conflicting definitions of degree of freedom in my textbook. If I look at the definition given as per screenshot below then it is the number of independent terms/variables/coordinates used to define the energy of a molecule. But, if I look at the statement of Equipartition of energy...
  18. A

    Finding the final speed of a space probe using work and kinetic energy

    First I found work: W=(3.85x10^5)(2.45x10^8) W= 9.43x10^13 Then used that for difference of kinetic energy: 9.43x10^13 = (1/2) (4.55x10^4)v2^2 - (1/2)(4.55x10^4)(1.22x10^4)^2 9.43x10^13 = (22750)v2^2 - 3.386x10^12 9.43x10^13 + 3.386x10^12 = (22750)v2^2 9.77x10^13 = 22750v2^2 9.77x10^13/22750...
  19. A

    Net work and kinetic energy (pushing a wagon to accelerate it)

    I'm a little confused because my teacher used Bill's 500J of work for the kinetic energy equation and I don't understand why. I used the net work, so 300J, to find the speed and I'm not sure why that's wrong. Wouldn't friction make the wagon move slower than if there was no friction? So why...
  20. S

    Rotating Rod in Plane: Kinetic Energy & Moment of Inertia

    hello guys, I wanted to ask whether I can just consider/think about this as being rotation around a fixed axis in a plane representing it as if it was 'just' a rod. This is mainly so that for the kinetic energy in the second position is where if we think about it in just a plane. Is this...
  21. haha0p1

    Kinetic energy of an alpha particle

    Kindly help me solve this question. The only thing so far that I know in this question is that energy is conserved and the momentum of Alpha particle will equal momentum of Thorium.
  22. S

    I Hubble flow kinetic energy into other types of energy?

    Spacetime expands at an accelerated rate and the particles with movement associated to this expansion are coupled to the Hubble flow. In many papers that I've read, objects coupled to the Hubble flow are treated as if they have some velocity and kinetic energy associated with it.However, can...
  23. Argonaut

    Find the Coefficient of Kinetic Friction

    Young & Freedman 13th ed, Exercise 7.81 Starting with the crate, here is its free-body diagram: In accordance with Newton's First Law: $$ \Sigma F_y = 0 = n+(-w_c \cos{\alpha}) $$ Thus ## n = w_c \cos{\alpha} ##. And according to Newton's Second Law: $$ \Sigma F_x = m_c a_x = w_c...
  24. phos19

    Falling stick problem (no friction): What is the kinetic energy?

    Since there is no friction : $$ m \ddot{x} = 0 $$ (no x motion).For the kinetic energy , I've tried: $$ K = 1/2 I_{cm} \dot{\alpha}^2 + 1/2 m v^2_cm = 1/2 I_{cm} \dot{\alpha}^2 + 1/2 m \dot{z}^2$$ . Giving me a weird expression , shouldn't the kinetic energy just be half the the moment...
  25. Differentiate it

    The kinetic energy of a spring

    I tried just using the formula for kinetic energy but that was apparently the wrong answer. The answer key says it's (1/6)mv². I don't understand how they got that answer. Could someone explain?
  26. codebpr

    A The kinetic term of the Hamiltonian is not positive definite

    I am trying to reproduce the results from this paper. On page 10 of the paper, they have an equation: $$ \frac{S}{T}=\int dt\sum _{n=0,1} (\dot{c_n}{}^2-c_n^2 \omega _n^2)+11.3 c_0^3+21.5 c_0 c_1^2+10.7 c_0 \dot{c_0}{}^2+3.32 c_0 \dot{c_1}{}^2+6.64 \dot{c_0} c_1 \dot{c_1} \tag{B12} $$ where they...
  27. K

    How do I find the coefficients of static friction and kinetic friction?

    I have found that μstatic= 5.6 (found on graph) / 18.20 = 0.3077 I don't know how to find Force of friction from the graph to calculate μKinetic
  28. earh1liw13w35sw5e

    Kinetic energy of the Monster Hunter cannon

    If you want to find out the kinetic energy (the unit is GJ as in other cannons) of the gunpowder cannon that appears in Monster Hunter, what do you need and how can you calculate it?
  29. alichoudhry57

    I Torque and Rotational Kinetic Energy Relationship

    I am wondering if it is possible to calculate either the Kinetic Energy or Rotational Kinetic Energy of an object if we have the Power (kW), Torque (Nm), and Speed (RPM) of the object.
  30. A

    Modal mass and kinetic energy in FEM modal analysis

    So, I use Ansys (well known FEM software) and get the next output for a modal analysis toy problem (If you happen to know Ansys that's a pre, but I promise it shouldn't matter). The problem is a simple beam, clamped at one end. I used 160 20-node brick elements to solve it (so no Timoshenko...
  31. Ahmed1029

    I Time dependence of kinetic energy in Lagrangian formulation

    Could kinetic energy possibly depend explicitly on time in the lagrangian for some arbitrary set of generalized coordinates?
  32. Rikudo

    Kinetic energy of a composite body

    This is my answer: $$KE_{total}=KE_{centermass}+KE_{uppermass}+KE_{bottommass}$$ $$KE_{total} = \frac 1 2 (mv^2 + 2m(\vec {v} + \vec {wL})^2) $$ But, the solution manual says that the answer is this: $$KE_{total} = \frac 1 2 (mv^2 + 2m(v^2+w^2L^2)) $$ I think he regard this composite body as...
  33. zaki belh

    A Question about kinetic theory and hydrodynamics (in plasmas)

    It is usual, in plasma physics, to combine the kinetic description for electron fluid and the hydrodynamic description for ion fluid, when studying the plasma properties or the dynamics of the electrostatic waves. I am wondering what are the physical meaning and limits of such an approach. Thanks.
  34. SkyeAlen

    Kinetic Energy of a Charged Particle near a Charged Ring

    A point charge of value q=8uC is released from rest at a point 1.5m away from the center of the axis of a ring with uniform charge density 3uC/m. The ring has a radius of 10 cm. What is the kinetic energy of this charge when it is 4.5 cm from the center of the charge ring, considering that it is...
  35. E

    Potential and Kinetic energy equations including drag coefficient

    1. Golf ball initial potential energy uncertainty (110-5kg 0.01 m 0.01m/s2)= 110-9J4.31210-5=4.31210-14j 2. Golf ball initial potential energy calculation (4.4 x10-4kg 9.8 m/s2 0.609 m)= 4.31210-54.31210-14j 3.Golf ball final potential energy uncertainty ( 110-5kg 0.0 m0.01 m/s2)= 0.0 J 4...
  36. Green dwarf

    I Exploring Energy in Astronomy: Kinetic, Potential & Mass?

    I am planning to teach a school astronomy group about energy. Most people seem to accept that there are two types: kinetic energy, resulting from movement; potential energy, resulting from position in a force field with a potential gradient (convertible to KE if the object is allowed to move...
  37. D

    Can High Velocity Cause Hailstones to Melt?

    I'm pretty sure the hailstones are likely to melt/disperse because 824 m/s is a high velocity but can someone help me elaborate why it would melt?
  38. R

    I Why is momentum considered a vector and kinetic energy a scalar?

    I'm not interested in the mathematical derivation, the mathematical derivation already is based on the assumption that momentum is a vector and kinetic energy is a scalar, thus it proves nothing. Specifically, what happens if we discuss scalarized momentum? What happens if we discuss vectorized...
  39. P

    Lagrangian of a double pendulum, finding kinetic energy

    This is from Taylor's classical mechanichs, 11.4, example of finding the Lagrangian of the double pendulum Relevant figure attached below Angle between the two velocities of second mass is $$\phi_2-\phi_1$$ Potential energy $$U_1=m_1gL_1$$ $$U_2=m_2g[L_1\cos(1-\phi_1)+L_2(1-\phi_2)]$$...
  40. Dario56

    I Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy of Electrons

    Time indepedendent Schrödinger equation for a system (atom or molecule) consisting of N electrons can be written as (with applying Born - Oppenheimer approximation): $$ [(\sum_{i=1}^N - \frac {h^2} {2m} \nabla _i ^2) + \sum_{i=1}^N V(r_i) + \sum_{i < j}^N U(r_i,r_j)] \Psi = E \Psi $$ Terms in...
  41. A

    Finding kinetic energy and initial velocity of a cart over time

    Here's my list of variables and things to account for: m=100kg Wnc=5000J Wfriction=-500J -Kinetic energy will be doubled (though I don't know how that plays into it exactly) -I don't think there's any PE because it's on level ground My idea of what the equation might be: Wnc +1/2mv^2initial =...
  42. rudransh verma

    B About verification on Kinetic energy and work

    1. From resnik, Halliday “Kinetic energy K is energy associated with the state of motion of an object. The faster the object moves , the greater is the kinetic energy” If I am right this means that greater the kinetic energy, greater is its speed. 2. Force transfers energy to the body due to...
  43. L

    Work and kinetic energy comprehension question

    Hello, I’ll start by saying I have the answers and the steps to the solutions, but there’s a comprehension disconnect somewhere that I’m trying to figure out. There are two parts to my question but the second one may not apply depending on the answer to the first. I wasn’t sure from the forum...
  44. L

    I The time derivative of kinetic energy

    Lets consider T(\vec{p})=\frac{\vec{p}^2}{2m}=\frac{\vec{p}\cdot \vec{p}}{2m}. Then \frac{dT}{dt}=\vec{v}\cdot \vec{F}. And if we consider T=\frac{p^2}{2m} than \frac{dT}{dt}=\frac{1}{2m}2p\frac{dp}{dt} Could I see from that somehow that this is \vec{v}\cdot \vec{F}?
  45. R

    I Kinetic Energy derivation assumption?

    The classical definition to the Kinetic Energy equation is KE=integral of F*dx where F=d(m*v)/dt. When mass is constant, KE=(1/2)m*v^2. I am working on a vibration problem at work and having to review my Lagrangian Dynamics books from 30 years ago. So my question is about all of the authors...
  46. V

    Kinetic & Potential Energy of a Pendulum

    When the pendulum is released, the Kinetic Energy should be 0. When the pendulum is at the bottom/hits the rod, it should have 0 potential energy. However, I don't quite understand what happens after it hits the rod.
  47. J

    Equation calculations about the coefficient of kinetic friction

    I need an expert to verify equations about the coefficient of kinetic friction.
  48. C

    B Colliding balls: Conservation of momentum and changes in kinetic energy?

    I got curious about firearm ballistics and googled something similar to "bullet momentum vs kinetic energy". IIRC, momentum P = mv (checked); and kE = (mv^2)/2 (also checked). So I essentially wondered if it's worse to get hit by a bullet with greater kE than by one with lesser kE, presuming...
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