When the velocity of a Formula 1 car is doubled with no change in mass, by what factor is its kinetic energy changed? Explain.

The kinetic energy of an object is a function of its mass and velocity. If the mass of an object is m and its velocity is v, its kinetic energy can be determined by using the following equation:

Kinetic energy or KE = 1/2 mv^2

Since the SI units of mass and velocity are kg and m/s, the units of kinetic energy are kg m^2/s^2. A more commonly used unit of kinetic energy is Joule or J.

If the mass of a formula 1 car is kept constant, while its velocity is doubled (say, it becomes 2v instead of v), the new kinetic energy (KE') would be:

KE' = 1/2 mv'^2 = 1/2 m (2v)^2 = 4 [1/2 mv^2) = 4 KE

Thus, the new kinetic energy is 4 times the original kinetic energy. Similarly, if the velocity becomes 3 times, the kinetic energy would increase to 9 times the original value.

Hope this helps.