A comparison of kinetic energy and momentum in special relativity and classical mechanics

Kinetic energy and momentum are indispensable dynamical quantities in both the special theory of relativity and in classical mechanics. Although momentum and kinetic energy are central to understanding dynamics, the differences between their relativistic and classical notions have not always received adequate treatment in undergraduate teaching. It is shown that the contrast between these relativistic and classical quantities can be presented in a straightforward manner and with a minimal level of (undergraduate) mathematics.