The Definition of Kinetic Energy

Newton's cradle toy
Newton's cradle is a classic toy that shows kinetic and potential energy as well as conservation of energy. Influx Productions/Getty Images
by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
Updated February 04, 2019

Kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion. An object of mass m moving at velocity v has a kinetic energy equal to ½mv2.

Example

An example of kinetic energy is a swinging pendulum.