AAMC FL Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the AAMC FL Exam. Prepare with comprehensive flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each equipped with hints and explanations. Gear up for your medical school entrance exam!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

The formula KE = 1/2mv^2 calculates which type of energy?

Potential Energy
Kinetic Energy
Mechanical Energy
Thermal Energy

The correct answer is: Kinetic Energy

The formula KE = 1/2mv^2 represents the calculation of kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy that an object possesses due to its motion, where "m" denotes the mass of the object and "v" represents its velocity. As velocity increases, the kinetic energy increases exponentially since it is squared in the equation. This relationship highlights that even a small increase in speed can lead to a significant increase in kinetic energy. Thus, when an object is in motion—whether it's a rolling ball, a moving car, or a flying airplane—its kinetic energy can be directly calculated using this formula. The other types of energy mentioned—potential energy, mechanical energy, and thermal energy—refer to different concepts. Potential energy is related to the position of an object within a gravitational field, mechanical energy encompasses both kinetic and potential energy, and thermal energy relates to the heat energy within a substance. The specific formulation presented indicates that the focus is solely on energy due to motion, thereby confirming that it calculates kinetic energy.