A 7.0 kg bowling ball is traveling down a lane at 10 m/s. Compare its energy to that of a 250 g baseball traveling at 50 m/s. Which object will hurt you more if it hits you? Why?
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A 7.0 kg bowling ball is traveling down a lane at 10 m/s. Compare its energy to that of a 250 g baseball traveling at 50 m/s. Which object will hurt you more if it hits you? Why?
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Explanation:
To compare the energy of the two objects, we can use the formula for kinetic energy, which is KE = 1/2mv^2, where m is the mass of the object and v is its velocity.
For the bowling ball, KE = 1/2 (7.0 kg) (10 m/s)^2 = 350 J.
For the baseball, KE = 1/2 (0.25 kg) (50 m/s)^2 = 625 J.
Therefore, the baseball has more kinetic energy than the bowling ball.
If either object were to hit a person, the baseball would hurt more due to its higher kinetic energy. This is because kinetic energy is directly proportional to an object's mass and the square of its velocity. The baseball has a smaller mass than the bowling ball, but its higher velocity makes up for it and gives it more kinetic energy. When an object with more kinetic energy hits something, it can transfer more energy and cause more damage.