Name______________________________________________ Date ___________________ Per _______

Youd Better WORK!!

Background: Work has a different meaning in the physical science class than it does in everyday usage. In the physical science class definition, a programmer does very little work typing away at a computer. A mason, by contrast, may do a lot of work laying concrete blocks. In physical science class, work is done only if an object is moved through some displacement (change in position) while a force is applied to it. If either the force or displacement is doubled, the work is doubled. Double them both, and the work is quadrupled. Doing work involves applying a force to an object while moving it a given distance. Work is: W=Fd The SI unit of work is the Joule (J), where 1J = 1 N 1 m. The rate at which energy is transferred is important in the design and use of practical devices, such as electrical appliances and engines of all kinds. The issue is particularly interesting for living creatures, since the maximum work per second, or power output, of an animal varies greatly with output duration. Power is defined as the rate of energy transfer with time, and the SI unit of power is the joule/sec, also called the watt, named after James Watt (1 W = 1 J/s) The unit of power in the U. S. customary system is the horsepower (hp), where 1 hp = 746 W. The horsepower was first defined by Watt, who needed a large power unit to rate the power output of his new invention, the steam engine. The watt is commonly used in electrical applications, but it can be used in other scientific areas as well. For example, European sports car engines are rated in kilowatts. In electric power generation, its customary to use the kilowatthour as a measure of energy. One kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the energy transferred in 1 hour at the constant rate. Work, power, energy theyre all related! How much work you can perform is related to how much energy you have available. How much energy you have available is related to your position and movement. This lab will help you tie these concepts together. Your Challenge: Using a stopwatch, a meter stick, a bathroom scale and a staircase you will: 1. Determine how much work you perform walking up the stairs 2. Calculate your power as you walk up the stairs Materials: Meter stick Mass scale Stopwatch Stairs Machine (student)

Name______________________________________________ Date ___________________ Per _______

Procedure: 1. Measure the mass of the climber in kg. (1kg change to 2.2lb) 2. Measure the height (vertical distance) of the stairs. 3. Because the student will be climbing the stairs against the force of gravity, the acceleration is 9.8 m/s2. 4. The climber should approach the stairs with steady speed. Note: Do not run. Do not skip stairs. Do not trip. 5. The timer will start the watch as the climber hits the first stair and stop the clock when the climber reaches the top. 6. Climbers and timers should rotate until all students have had the opportunity to climb. 7. Write results of your measurements in a data table below

Student

Mass (kg)

Gravitational Acceleration (g)

Distance height (m)

Time for climb (s)

Work (Joules)

Power (Watts)

#1

9.8 m/s2

#2

9.8 m/s2

#3

9.8 m/s2

#4

9.8 m/s2

#5

9.8 m/s2

Name______________________________________________ Date ___________________ Per _______

Follow-up questions: Answer in complete sentences. 1. Why is the work everyone did different even though everyone walked up the same distance?

2. Why is the power different for two people who did the same amount of work?

3. List and DESCRIBE two variables that affect work.

4. List and DESCRIBE two variables that affect power.

5. One horsepower is equal to 746 watts. Calculate your horsepower as you walked up the stairs. SHOW YOUR WORK!! NO WORK = NO CREDIT!!!

6. A 200 watt light bulb uses 200 joules of energy every second. Based on your power in this experiment, how long could you keep a 200 watt light bulb working?

7. How can some people do the same amount of work, but have different power?

8. How can some people have the same power, but perform different amounts of work?