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Graphing Kinetic Energy

What is the relationship of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an
object?

Background
When a moving object collides with an obstacle, it may cause a certain amount of damage. It
will cause even more damage if it is moving faster or if it has more mass. The kinetic energy of
an object (the energy due to the object’s motion) depends on both the mass and the speed of
the object, but not necessarily in the same way. How exactly do the mass and speed of an
object affect kinetic energy? In this lab, you will use graphs to see this relationship.

Procedure
 1. Construct Graphs Michael and Manuel are studying kinetic energy by observing sleds
slide down a snowy hill. First, they push one sled at different speeds down the hill and
record the kinetic energy and speed in Table 1 using generic units.

Table 1: Kinetic Energy (KE) and Speed

KE 1 4 9 16 25
Speed 1 2 3 4 5

Construct a graph of kinetic energy versus speed using the data in Table 1.

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 2. Construct Graphs Next, Michael and Manuel push sleds of different masses down the
hill. They record the kinetic energy and masses in Table 2 using generic units.

Table 2: Kinetic Energy (KE) and Mass

KE 1 2 3 4 5
Mass 1 2 3 4 5

Construct a graph of kinetic energy versus speed using the data in Table 2.

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Analyze and Conclude

1. Interpret Graphs Interpret the shape of each graph you constructed.

2. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity Explain what the graph of kinetic energy versus speed
shows about the relationship between kinetic energy and speed.

3. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity Explain what the graph of kinetic energy versus mass
shows about the relationship between kinetic energy and mass.

4. Construct Explanations How do Michael and Manuel’s data show the relationship between
kinetic energy, mass, and speed?

5. Apply Concepts Given the graphs, what do you think would cause more damage in a
collision: a faster object or a heavier object?

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