Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________ Page 1

Kinetic Energy, Mass, and Speed: Part 1

Kinetic energy is energy of motion. The kinetic energy of an object depends on its mass and speed.

Use the information in the tables to answer the questions below. The first one is done for you as an example.

1. Kenneth and Rachel are skating at the local ice rink. Fill in the blanks to compare the two skaters.

Ice Skater Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Kinetic a. Kenneth’s mass is __________
2 times Rachel’s mass.
Energy (J)
b. Kenneth’s speed is __________
equal to Rachel’s speed.
Kenneth 100 4 800
c. Kenneth’s kinetic energy is __________
2 times
Rachel 50 4 400 Rachel’s kinetic energy.

2. A wildebeest and a lion are running in the grassland. Fill in the blanks to compare the two mammals.

Kinetic a. The lion’s mass is __________ the

Mammal Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Energy (kJ) wildebeest’s mass.
Wildebeest 250 20 50 b. The lion’s speed is __________ the
wildebeest’s speed.
Lion 125 20 25
c. The lion’s kinetic energy is __________ the
wildebeest’s kinetic energy.

3. A horse and her foal are galloping on the beach. Fill in the blanks to compare the two horses.

Horse Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Kinetic a. Charlie’s mass is __________ Spirit’s mass.
Energy (hJ)
b. Charlie’s speed is __________ Spirit’s speed.
Charlie 600 12 432
c. Charlie’s kinetic energy is __________ Spirit’s
Spirit 200 12 144 kinetic energy.

4. Two bowling balls are rolling down separate lanes in a bowling alley. Based on what you’ve learned
about the relationship between kinetic energy and mass from the questions above, complete the table.

Bowling Ball Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Kinetic Energy (J)

Purple Ball 6 6 108

Orange Ball 3 6 __________

Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________ Page 2

Kinetic Energy, Mass, and Speed: Part 1

Keep going! Answer the questions below.

5. Mike and Drew are swimming in the pool at the Homestead Community Center. Fill in the blanks to
compare the two swimmers.

Swimmer Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Kinetic a. Drew’s mass is __________ Mike’s mass.
Energy (J)
b. Drew’s speed is __________ Mike’s speed.
Mike 72 1 36
c. Drew’s kinetic energy is __________ Mike’s
Drew 72 2 144 kinetic energy.

6. Brianna takes her two dogs, Abby and Snoopy, to run around the dog park. Fill in the blanks to
compare the two dogs.

Kinetic a. Abby’s mass is __________ Snoopy’s mass.

Dog Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Energy (J)
b. Abby’s speed is __________ Snoopy’s speed.
Abby 30 7 735
c. Abby’s kinetic energy is __________ Snoopy’s
Snoopy 30 14 2,940 kinetic energy.

7. Kati and Cambray are both running on the field during their soccer match. Fill in the blanks to compare
the two soccer players.

Soccer Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Kinetic a. Kati’s mass is __________ Cambray’s mass.
Player Energy (J)
b. Kati’s speed is __________ Cambray’s speed.
Kati 54 6 972
c. Kati’s kinetic energy is __________ Cambray’s
Cambray 54 2 108 kinetic energy.

8. Karen and Jhanvi are riding bikes around their neighborhood. Based on what you’ve learned about the
relationship between kinetic energy and speed from the questions above, complete the table.

Biker Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Kinetic Energy (J)

Karen 52 16 6,656

Jhanvi 52 8 __________
Name _____________________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Kinetic Energy, Mass, and Speed: Part 2

Kinetic energy is energy of motion. The kinetic energy of an object depends on its mass and speed.

How do mass and speed affect kinetic energy? Let’s use graphs to find out!

1. The table below shows the mass and kinetic energy of various objects that are all moving at the same
speed of 10 meters per second. Plot the points from the table on the graph. Once you have plotted all
the points, connect the dots to create a line graph.
Kinetic Energy vs. Mass
1,300
1,200
Mass (kg) Kinetic Energy (J) 1,100

Kinetic Energy (J)

1,000
0 0 900
800
5 250 700
600
10 500
500
15 750 400
300
20 1,000 200
100
25 1,250 0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Mass (kg)

2. The table below shows the speed and kinetic energy of various objects that all have a mass of 6
kilograms. Plot the points from the table on the graph. Once you have plotted all the points, connect
the dots to create a line graph.
Kinetic Energy vs. Speed
1,900
1,800
Speed 1,700
Kinetic Energy (J) 1,600
(m/s) 1,500
Kinetic Energy (J)

1,400
0 0 1,300
1,200
5 75 1,100
1,000
900
10 300 800
700
600
15 675 500
400
300
20 1,200 200
100
0
25 1,875 0 5 10 15 20 25
Speed (m/s)

3. Fill in the blanks to finish the statements. Use the tables from problems 1 and 2 to help you.
a. If one object has twice the mass of a second object and their speeds are the same, then the kinetic
energy of the first object is ____________________ the kinetic energy of the second.

b. If one object is moving at twice the speed of a second object and their masses are the same, then
the kinetic energy of the first object is ____________________ the kinetic energy of the second.

4. Describe the shape of each graph that you created above. What do these shapes tell you about the
effect of mass and speed on kinetic energy?
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