Question

kinetic vs mass (graph with kinetic energy on y - axis, mass on x - axis, points increasing with mass)
explain how the mass of a bowling ball that has been rolled down the lane affects the kinetic energy.
a the kinetic energy does not depend on the mass of the bowling ball.
b the kinetic energy is increasing proportional to the mass of the bowling ball.
c the kinetic energy is decreasing proportional to the mass of the bowling ball.
d the kinetic energy is increasing proportional to the square of the mass of the bowling ball.

Explanation:

The formula for kinetic energy is \( KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 \), where \( m \) is mass and \( v \) is velocity. When a bowling ball is rolled down the lane, if we assume velocity is constant (or at least, as mass increases, from the graph we see kinetic energy increases with mass), from the formula, \( KE \) is directly proportional to \( m \) (since \( \frac{1}{2}v^2 \) would be a constant if velocity is constant). Option A is wrong as \( KE \) depends on mass. Option C is wrong as the graph and formula show \( KE \) increases with mass. Option D is wrong because \( KE \) is proportional to mass (not square of mass) when velocity is constant (the formula has \( m \) to the first power). So the correct option is B.

Answer:

B. The kinetic energy is increasing proportional to the mass of the bowling ball.