Originally Posted by smokepole
... Without googling it, you do know that the simple calculation squares the velocity term, and halves the mass term, right?


Without weighing in on the merits of the always-explosively-violent kinetic energy debate, the formula therefore doesn't just halve the mass, but also halves the square of the velocity.

1/2 x M x V^2 = 1/2 x V^2 x M.