Which of the trucks has more kinetic energy if the speed of the first is 60 km / h and the speed of the second is 50 km / h?

Given:

v1 = 60 km / h = 16.7 m / s – the speed of the first truck;

v2 = 50 km / h = 13.9 m / s – the speed of the second truck.

It is required to determine which of the trucks has the most kinetic energy.

Since the problem statement is not specified, we assume that both trucks have the same mass equal to m.

Then, the kinetic energy of the first truck is:

E1 = m * v1 ^ 2/2.

The kinetic energy of the second truck is:

E2 = m * v2 ^ 2/2.

E1 / E2 = (m * v1 ^ 2/2) / (m * v2 ^ 2/2) = v12 / v2 ^ 2 = 16.7 ^ 2 / 13.9 ^ 2 = 278.89 / 193.21 = 1.4.

Since E1 / E2 = 1.4> 1, the kinetic energy of the first truck is higher.

Answer: The kinetic energy of the first truck is higher.