Question

How do you calculate the kinetic energy of a 100.0-kg meteor approaching the Earth at a speed of 10.0 km/s?

Answer 1

`KE=5,000,000,000 J`

Explanation:

The kinetic energy (`KE`) in joules (`J`) of an object is defined by the equation:

`KE=1/2mv^2`, where `m` is the mass in kg, and `v` is the speed in m/s.

Plugging in `m=100`, and `v=1000*10=10000` m/s

We get

`KE=1/2*100*(10000^2)=50*100,000,000=5,000,000,000 J`