The cannon on a pirate ships shoots cannon balls with a speed of 350m/s (the muzzle velocity). The cannon can be adjusted to shoot at any elevation above the horizontal. What is the greatest kinetic energy the cannon ball can have when it hits its target in J ? Ignore air resistance and assume the target is at the same height above the ground (or water) as the cannon.
The kinetic energy of an object is given by the equation KE = (1/2)mv^2, where m is the mass of the object and v is its velocity.
In this case, we are given the muzzle velocity of the cannon ball, which is 350 m/s. However, we are not given the mass of the cannon ball. Since the kinetic energy depends on both the mass and the velocity of the object, we need the mass in order to calculate the maximum kinetic energy.
Without the mass, we cannot determine the maximum kinetic energy.