Science class online
Chemistry and physics lessons
atom physics lesson


Free online mechanics lesson for elementary school,  middle school and high school.
chemistry high school



Translational kinetic energy

1) What is translational motion ?

If an object is as small as a point ( it has only one dimension ), it always has translational motion
As for other objects, they have a translational motion if each of their points:
- move at the same speed.
- move in the same direction.
For simplification we can say that an object has a translational motion if it doesn't rotate.

2) kinetic energy formula

Translational kinetic energy ( KE ) depends on speed ( v ) and mass ( m ) of the moving object.
It can be expressed by the following relationship:

KE = 1 x m x v2

- m  in kilogram (kg)
- v in meter per second (m/s)
- Ec in joule (J)