Work and Energy

Energy exists in various forms: There is mechanical energy, chemical energy, electrical
energy, heat energy, nuclear energy, and so on. A transformation from one form to
another may take place, but the total amount of energy is conserved or always remains
the same.

Work Done by a Constant Force

The word work is commonly used in a variety of ways: We go to work. We work on

projects. We work on our desks or on computers; We work on problems. In Physics,
work has a very specific meaning. Mechanically, work involves force and
displacement, and we use this word to describe quantitatively what is
accomplished when a force moves an object through a distance. In the simplest
case of a constant force:

The work done by a constant force in moving an object is equal to the product of
the magnitudes of the displacement and the component of thte force parallel to
the displacement.

Work then involves moving an object through a distance. A force may be applied but if
there is no motion (no displacement), then no work is done. For a constant force F
acting in the same direction as the displacement, the work W is simply

W =Fd

and

F=mg

In general, work is done when a force moves an object through a distance and some
component of the force is along the line of motion i.e. if the force is at an angle to the
objects displacement, then Fx = F cos. The more general formula for work is now

W =Fd cos

Work is measured in Newton-meter (Nm) or joule (J).

The vertical component of the force F, which is F y, does no work since there is no
displacement in this direction. Work is a scalar quantity.

We commonly specify what is doing work on what. For example, the force of gravity
does work on a falling object. When you lift an object, you do work on the object. We
refer to this as doing work against gravity because the force of gravity is in the direction
opposite that of the applied lift force, and opposes it.

Forces are variable i.e. they change with time and/or position. For example, a force
applied to an object to overcome the force of static friction may be increased until it
exceeds fsmax. However, the force of static friction does no work because there is no
motion of displacement. An example of a variable force doing work is stretching a
spring. As a spring is stretched or compressed farther and farther, the restoring force of
the spring gets greater and an increasing applied force is required. In equation form,
this is expressed as

F=kx

where x represents the compressor or extensor of the spring from its unstretched
length. The k is a constant of proportionality and is commonly called the spring
constant expressed in Newtons per meter (N/m).

The work done by a uniformly varying force of the form F = kx

1
W = k x2
2

Sample Problems:

1. A student holds a Physics book which has a mass of 1.25 kg, out of a classroom
window until his arm is tired, and then releases it. (a) How much work is done on
the book by the student in simply holding it out the window? (b) How much work
will have been done by the force of gravity during the time in which the book falls
3.0 m?

2. If a gardener pushes a lawnmower on the grass field with a constant force of

90.0 N at an angle of 41 degrees to the horizontal, how much work does he do in
pushing it at a horizontal distance of 7.5 m?

3. A 0.15 kg mass is suspended from a vertical spring and descends a distance of

4.6 cm, after which it hang s at rest. An additional 0.50 kg mass is then
suspended from the first. What is the total extension of the spring. Neglect the
mass of the spring.

4. A crane lifts a 2.0 metric ton load a vertical distance of 15.0 m. IF the speed of
the load is constant, how much work is done in lifting it?

5. A tractor exerts a constant force of 5.0 x 10 3 N on a horizontal chain while moving

a load horizontal distance of 30 cm. How much work is done by the tractor?
 6. A person pushing a cart on a level floor applies a constant force of 250 N at an
angle of 32 degrees to the horizontal. How far does the person push the cart in
doing 1.44 x 103 J of work?

7. A 3.0 kg block slides down a frictionless plane inclined 22 degrees to the

horizontal. IF the length of the planes surface if 1.50 m, how much work is done
and by what force?

How is work related to energy?

Energy is one of the most important concepts in science. It is the quantity possessed
by objects or systems. Basically, work is something that is done on objects, whereas
energy is something that objects have.

One form of energy that is closely associated with work is kinetic energy. Consider an
object at rest on a frictionless surface. Let a horizontal force act on the object and set it
in motion. Work is done on the object, but where does the work go, so to speak? It
goes into setting the object into motion or changing its kinetic conditions. Because of its
motion, we say that the object has energy kinetic energy, which gives it the capability
to do work.

Kinetic energy is often called the energy of motion. It is defined mathematically as one-
half of the product of the mass and the square of the instantaneous speed of a moving
object.

1
K= m v 2
2

and is measured in joules (J).

The work-energy formula, depicted by

2 2
v v o
a=
2x

v 2v 2o
W =Fd=m
2x ( x )
1 1
W net = K =KK o= m v 2 m v 2o
2 2

The above equation is called the work-energy theorem and relates the net work done
on an object to the change in its kinetic energy i.e. the net work done on a body by an
external force is equal to the change in the kinetic energy of the body. Work and energy
both have the units of joules and are both scalar quantities.

Sample Problems:

1. A shuffleboard player pushes a 0.25 kg puck, initially at rest, in a way that causes
a constant horizontal force of 6.0 N to act on it through a distance of 0.5 m. (a)
What is the energy of the puck when the force is removed?

2. A car traveling at 5.0 m/s speeds up to 10 m/s, an increase in kinetic energy that
requires work W1. Then, the speed is increased from 10 m/s to 15 m/s, requiring
work W2. How do the amounts of work compare? Is W 1 > W2, (b) W1 = W2 or (c)
W1 < W2?

3. A car with a mass of 1200 kg travels at a speed of 90 kph. (a) What is its kinetic
energy? (b) What is the work required to bring it to rest?

4. A constant force of 75 N acts on an object initially at rest and acts through a

parallel distance of 0.60 m. What is the final kinetic energy if the object

5. A 3.0 g bullet traveling at 350 m/s hits a tree and penetrates a distance of 12 cm.
What is the average force exerted on the bullet in bringing it to rest?

Power

A particular task may require a certain amount of work, but it might be done over
different lengths of time or at different rates. For example, suppose that you have to
mow a lawn. This takes a certain amount of work, but you might do the job in a half
hour or you might take an hour or two. Theres a practical distinction to be made here.
There is usually not only an interest in the amount of work done, but also an interest in
how fast it is done i.e. the rate at which it is done. The rate of doing work is called
power.

The average power is the work done divided by the time it takes to do the wor, or work
per unit time.

W
P=
tt o

If to is taken to be zero, then

W
P=
t
If the work is done by a constant force of magnitude F while an object moves through a
displacement of magnitude d, then

W Fd mgh
P= = = =Fv
t t t

and is measured in joules/second (J/s) or watts (W), where it is assumed that the force
is in the direction of the displacement. If the force and the displacement are not in the
same direction, then

Fd cos
P= =Fv cos
t

Note that

J
1 =1 watt (W )
s

The SI power unit is called a watt. A common unit of electrical power is kilowatt (kW).
The British units are foot-pounds per second (ft lb/s). However, a larger unit, the
horsepower (hp) is more commonly used:

lb
1 hp=550 ft =746 W
s

Power tells you how fast work is being done or how fast energy is being transferred.

Sample Problems:

1. A hoist crane lifts a load of 1.0 metric ton a vertical distance of 25 m in 9.0 s at a
constant velocity. How much useful work is done by the hoist crane each
second?

2. The motors of two vacuum cleaners have net power outputs of 1.00 hp and 0.50
hp. (a) How much work in joules can each motor do in 3.0 min? (b) How long
does it take for each motor to do 97 kJ of work?

3. What is the horsepower rating of a 100-W light bulb?

4. A 1500-kg race car can go from zero to 90 km/h in 5 s. What is the power
required to do this?

5. (a) How many joules of electrical energy are used by a 160-W hair dryer in 10
min? (b) If the dryer is operated a total of 4.5 h during one month, how much will
this contribute to the electrical bill if the billing rate is $0.12/kWh?
Efficiency

Machines and motors are quite common and we often talk about their efficiency.
Efficiency involves work, energy and/or power. Simple and complex machines that do
work have mechanical parts that move, so some energy is always lost because of
friction or some other cause (perhaps in the form of sound). Thus, not all of the input
energy goes into useful work.

Mechanical efficiency is essentially a measure of what you get out of what you put in i.e.
the useful work output for the energy input. Efficiency is given as a fraction or
percentage.

work output
= x 100
work input

Sample Problems:

1. The motor of an electric drill with an efficiency of 80% has a power input of 600 W.
How much work is done by the drill in a time of 30 s?

2. An electric motor with a 2.0 hp output drives a machine with a efficiency of 45%.
What is the energy output of the machine per second?