What would his speed be? Answer in units of m/s.

Question

A jogger (of mass 64 kg) has the same kinetic energy as that of the continent. What would his speed be? Answer in units of m/s.

Answer 1

The kinetic energy (KE) of an object can be calculated using the following formula:

\[KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2\]

Where:

- \(KE\) is the kinetic energy (in joules, J).

- \(m\) is the mass of the object (in kilograms, kg).

- \(v\) is the velocity or speed of the object (in meters per second, m/s).

In this case, the jogger has the same kinetic energy as the continent. Assuming the mass of the continent is significantly larger than that of the jogger, we can equate their kinetic energies:

\[\frac{1}{2} \cdot \text{jogger's mass} \cdot \text{jogger's speed}^2 = \frac{1}{2} \cdot \text{continent's mass} \cdot \text{continent's speed}^2\]

Given:

- Jogger's mass (\(m\)) = 64 kg

- Continent's mass (assumed to be much larger, and thus mass can be approximated as infinite)

Now, we can find the jogger's speed (\(v\)):

\[64 \cdot v^2 = \infty\]

Since the continent's mass can be considered infinitely larger, the jogger's speed would be negligible. Therefore, the jogger's speed is essentially zero, or in units of m/s, very close to zero.