Show that the kinetic energy of a body equals kmV² using the method of dimensional analysis.
Since the kinetic energy of a body depends on its mass and velocity,
K.E. = f (V, m), or K.E. = kV^a m^b .
Dimensionally,
FLT^0 = (LT^{-1})^a(FT^2L^{-1})^b
Equating the exponents of F, L, and T, we get:
F: 1 = b; L: 1 = a – b; T: 0 = – a + 2b
This gives b = 1 and a = 2. So, K.E. = kV²m, where k is a constant.