Question

A small pebble and a large boulder start at the same height and begin rolling down the side of a mountain.Which object would have less kinetic energy as it crashes on the road at the bottom of the mountain?

Answer 1

Answer:

The large boulder

Explanation:

An object’s kinetic energy depends on:

● the object’s mass and

● the object’s speed

Let us remember that the magnitude of acceleration due to gravity on the both objects is exactly the same.

However, the mass of the objects are different. Mass is a measure of the inertia (resistance to motion) of a body. The greater the mass, the greater the inertial. The boulder has a greater mass and hence a greater inertia (more resistance to motion).

Therefore, the boulder will have less kinetic energy