Chris Schneck

 The joule is named for the British physicist James Prescott Joule (1818-1889), who demonstrated the equivalence of mechanical and thermal energy in a famous experiment in 1843.

Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. An object which has motion, whether it be vertical or horizontal motion, has kinetic energy.

So how many joules of kinetic energy does a paintball have in flight?

E_k = (1/2)*(mass)*(velocity)²

The mass of an average paintball is 2.84g, which is .00284Kg

The maximum safe measured velocity of a paintball is 300ft per second  OR 91.44m per second

E_k = .5*.00284*91.44²

So in case anyone every asks, now you know a paintball in flight contains a potential 11.87 joules of kinetic energy.