The expression Mass/2 x velocity^2 is used to calculate which type of energy?

• A. Potential energy
• B. Thermal energy
• C. Kinetic energy
• D. Chemical energy

Answer: (C)

Energy of motion is a concept called kinetic energy. The expression one-half times mass times velocity squared captures how much energy an object has simply because it is moving. Mass contributes directly, and velocity contributes more strongly because it is squared, so faster, heavier objects carry more kinetic energy. This is different from potential energy, which comes from an object's position in a field (like height in gravity), thermal energy, tied to temperature and microscopic motion, and chemical energy, stored in chemical bonds. So the given formula is specifically used to calculate kinetic energy.