Question

if javier rolls a 10 - pound bowling ball and a 1 - pound tennis ball down the same hill, which one will have more kinetic energy and why?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the formula for kinetic energy

The formula for kinetic energy is \(K.E.=\frac{1}{2}mv^{2}\), where \(m\) is the mass and \(v\) is the velocity.

Step2: Analyze the velocity

Assuming they roll down the same hill, both balls will have the same final velocity (due to the same acceleration from gravity and same height of the hill, neglecting air - resistance and friction effects in a basic analysis).

Step3: Compare the masses

The mass of the bowling ball \(m_{1}=10\) pounds and the mass of the tennis ball \(m_{2} = 1\) pound. Since \(m_{1}>m_{2}\) and \(v\) is the same for both (from step 2) and \(K.E.\propto m\) (when \(v\) is constant as \(K.E.=\frac{1}{2}mv^{2}\)).

Answer:

The 10 - pound bowling ball will have more kinetic energy. Because when they roll down the same hill (same velocity \(v\)), and using the formula \(K.E.=\frac{1}{2}mv^{2}\), the bowling ball has a larger mass \(m\).