Mistake Master
Mistake Master · AP Physics C · Unit 3 · Topic 3.1 · Step-Through Animation
Twice the Speed, Four Times the Energy
You'll learnwhy doubling speed quadruples kinetic energy while momentum only doubles.
Two identical cars, one at double the speed. Twice the energy? Watch the square in K = ½mv² turn a ×2 in speed into a ×4 in energy — while momentum only doubles — then see the same car carry 25 joules for one observer and none for another.
ENERGY LAB
Before you start
What you're looking at
Two identical 2 kg cars on separate tracks: the top one moving at 2v, the bottom one at v.
The question
The fast car carries how much more kinetic energy than the slow one — twice, or more?
Watch for
The momentum and energy bars. Predict: does energy grow at the same rate as speed?
What the symbols mean
Pink = momentum (p = mv), grows straight; blue = kinetic energy (K = ½mv²), curves up faster.
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