Science Physics Formulas
Problem:
Solve for Velocity
Inputs:
Conversions:
Solution:
Other Units:
Change Equation or Formulas:
Tap or click to solve for a different unknown or equation
| Solve for kinetic energy |
| Solve for mass |
| Solve for velocity |
Where
K | = | kinetic energy |
m | = | mass |
v | = | velocity |
References - Books:
Tipler, Paul A.. 1995. Physics For Scientists and Engineers. Worth Publishers. 3rd ed.
How to solve for velocity in the kinetic energy equation?
We can rearrange the formula by isolating the velocity term to solve for the kinetic energy equation's velocity. Here are the steps:
- Start with the kinetic energy equation: K.E. = 0.5 * m * v^2.
- Divide both sides of the equation by 0.5 * m to get v alone: v = sqrt(2 * K.E. / m).
- Calculate the kinetic energy value and mass value of the object you are working with. Ensure they are in the correct units.
- Substitute the values into the rearranged equation: v = sqrt(2 * K.E. / m).
- Simplify the equation using arithmetic operations.
- Calculate the final result for velocity.
Example
For example, an object with a mass of 5 kilograms has a kinetic energy of 250 joules. To solve for the velocity using the kinetic energy equation, we can do the following:
Given:
K.E. = 250 J
m = 5 kg
Using the rearranged equation: v = sqrt(2 * K.E. / m)
Substituting the given values:
v = sqrt(2 * 250 J / 5 kg)
Simplifying:
v = sqrt(500 J / 5 kg)
v = sqrt(100 m^2/s^2)
v = 10 m/s
Therefore, the velocity of the object is 10 meters per second.
In this example, we rearranged the kinetic energy equation to get the velocity alone and then substituted the given values to find the answer.