[coloradan]

potential energy n. The energy that exists in a body as a result of its position or condition rather than of its motion. source

kinetic energy n. The energy possessed by a body because of its motion, equal to one half the mass of the body times the square of its speed. source

It's one thing for you to be wrong, it's another for you to cop an attitude about it, "You should have paid more attention in school."

Then again, pompous, ignorant people are just the sorts to force their ideas upon others at government gunpoint - and say they're doing it for their own good.

[SampleMan]

You fail to grasp the changes of definition as it pertains to the work (bending metal is for your purposes mass in motion). If the referenced work is moving the car, then the car has kinetic energy. If the work to be done is crushing the metal of the car, then the car in motion is the potential energy. At least that's what my Physics 211 instructor and the textbook said, but hey, you are in a parallel universe where simplistic Internet definitions are key.

It's one thing for you to be wrong, it's another for you to cop an attitude about it, "You should have paid more attention in school."

That's really rich given it was in reply to your "elementary school "comment.

Then again, pompous, ignorant people are just the sorts to force their ideas upon others at government gunpoint - and say they're doing it for their own good.

Besides being stupid, that's a completely non sequitur statement.