Kinetic Energy
Kinetic Energy
A moving body carries kinetic energy that must be supplied to accelerate it and absorbed to stop it — the basis of braking and impact design.
The kinetic energy is KE = ½·m·v². where m is the mass and v the speed.
Inputs
m := 1500 kg=1500 kg
v := 20 m/s=20 m/s
Apply the kinetic-energy formula.
KE := 0.5·m·v^2=300000 Nm
Results
Energy rises with the square of speed, so stopping distance and impact energy grow rapidly with velocity — doubling speed quadruples the energy to dissipate.
Assumptions & limitations
- Rigid body, translational motion only.
- No rotation considered.
- Speed well below the speed of light.