Science Physics Formulas
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Select to solve for a different unknown
 | Solve for kinetic energy |
 | Solve for mass |
 | Solve for velocity |
Where
K | = | kinetic energy |
m | = | mass |
v | = | velocity |
References - Books:
Tipler, Paul A.. 1995. Physics For Scientists and Engineers. Worth Publishers. 3rd ed.
How To Solve For Mass In The Kinetic Energy Equation
To solve for mass in the kinetic energy equation, you can rearrange the formula to isolate the mass term. Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Start with the kinetic energy equation: K.E = 0.5 * m * v^2.
- Divide both sides of the equation by 0.5 * v^2 to get m on its own: m = K.E / (0.5 * v^2).
- Calculate the kinetic energy value (K.E) and the velocity value (v) of the object you are working with. Ensure that the units for K.E are in joules (J) and the velocity is in meters per second (m/s).
- Substitute the values into the rearranged equation: m = K.E / (0.5 * v^2).
- Simplify the equation using the appropriate order of operations: divide the kinetic energy value by the product of 0.5 and the square of the velocity.
- Calculate the final result to find the mass of the object.
Double-check the units in the final answer to ensure they are in the appropriate unit (kilograms, kg).
By following these steps, you can determine the mass of an object using the kinetic energy equation.
Example
Let's say we have an object with a kinetic energy of 500 joules and a velocity of 10 meters per second. We can solve for mass using the kinetic energy equation.
Given:
K.E = 500 J
v = 10 m/s
Using the rearranged equation: m = K.E / (0.5 * v^2)
Substituting the given values:
m = 500 J / (0.5 * (10 m/s)^2)
Simplifying:
m = 500 J / (0.5 * 100 m^2/s^2)
m = 500 J / 50 m^2/s^2
m = 10 kg
Therefore, the mass of the object would be equal to 10 kilograms.
In this example, we used the given kinetic energy and velocity values to find the corresponding mass by plugging them into the rearranged kinetic energy equation.