Kinetic energy is determined by what two factors?

Kinetic energy is indeed determined by mass and velocity. This relationship is captured in the equation for kinetic energy, which states that kinetic energy is equal to one-half the mass of an object multiplied by the square of its velocity (KE = 1/2 mv²).

This means that both the mass of the object and its speed play critical roles in determining how much kinetic energy it has. An increase in either mass or velocity results in an increase in kinetic energy. For example, a heavier object moving at a certain speed will have more kinetic energy than a lighter object moving at the same speed. Similarly, if the velocity of an object increases (while its mass remains constant), its kinetic energy increases significantly because of the squaring of the velocity in the formula.

In contrast, the other choices involve different relationships that do not directly pertain to the calculation of kinetic energy, which is solely focused on mass and its velocity.