Which of the following objects possesses $kineticenergy$?

• A. A stationary car parked in a garage
• B. A book resting on a table
• C. A ball rolling across the floor
• D. A rock sitting motionless at the top of a hill

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the definition of kinetic energy: it is the energy an object possesses due to its motion. The formula for kinetic energy is given by \(\displaystyle KE = \frac{1}{2} m v^{2}\), where \(m\) is the mass of the object and \(v\) is its velocity.
2. Analyze each option by considering whether the object is moving or stationary. If the velocity \(v\) is zero, then the kinetic energy will be zero.
3. For the stationary car parked in a garage, the velocity is zero, so its kinetic energy is zero.
4. For the book resting on a table, the velocity is also zero, so its kinetic energy is zero.
5. For the ball rolling across the floor, the ball has a nonzero velocity, so it possesses kinetic energy. Similarly, the rock sitting motionless at the top of a hill has zero velocity and thus zero kinetic energy.