The kinetic energy of a body is the energy it possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate the body from rest to its current velocity. In other words, it is the energy that an object possesses by virtue of its motion.
The formula for calculating the kinetic energy (KE) of a body is:
KE = 1/2 * m * v^2
Where:
- KE represents the kinetic energy
- m represents the mass of the object
- v represents the velocity of the object
The kinetic energy is directly proportional to both the mass and the square of the velocity. This means that an object with a larger mass or a higher velocity will have greater kinetic energy. Additionally, the kinetic energy is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude and no specific direction.
It's important to note that the above formula assumes non-relativistic speeds, meaning speeds significantly lower than the speed of light. For objects moving at speeds close to or approaching the speed of light, relativistic equations need to be considered.