What is the term for the energy of an object due to its motion?

Kinetic energy refers specifically to the energy that an object possesses because of its motion. The amount of kinetic energy an object has depends on two factors: its mass and its speed. This relationship is mathematically described by the formula ( KE = \frac{1}{2} mv^2 ), where ( m ) stands for mass and ( v ) for velocity. An object in motion, regardless of its mass, has kinetic energy that increases with its speed.

In contrast, potential energy is related to the position of an object in a force field, such as gravitational or elastic forces, while thermal energy pertains to the internal energy of a system due to the temperature of its particles. Mechanical energy combines both kinetic and potential energy in a system, but does not specifically denote energy due to motion alone. Therefore, the term that directly answers the question regarding energy due to an object's motion is kinetic energy.