kinetic energy
The energy of a body resulting from motion.
A moving body has kinetic energy. This energy is equal to the work that would have to be done in bringing the body to rest, and is dependent on both the body's mass and speed. The kinetic energy in joules of a mass m kilograms travelling with speed v metres per second is given by the formula:
If a moving object collides with another object, then work is done. For example, if a moving car collides with a stationary car, it will cause the stationary car to move. The force from the moving object is used to move the stationary object by a certain distance.
| All atoms and molecules possess some amount of kinetic energy because they are all in some state of motion (see kinetic theory). Adding heat energy to a substance increases the mean kinetic energy and hence the mean speed of its constituent molecules – a change that is reflected in a rise in the temperature of that substance. |
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