Work, Power, and Energy

Explaining the Causes of Motion

Without Newton

Objectives
Define mechanical work
Distinguish the differences between
positive and negative work
Define energy
Define kinetic energy

Objectives
Define gravitational potential energy
Define strain energy
Explain the relationship between
mechanical work and energy
Define power

Introduction
The explanations for the causes of motion
described in this chapter do not rely on
Newton's laws of motion but rather on the
relationship between work, energy, and
power
Some analyses and explanations are
easier if based on work and energy
relationships rather than Newtonian
mechanics

Work
Product of force and the amount of
displacement in the direction of that force
Means by which energy is transferred from
one object or system to another
U = F(d)
U = work done on an object
F = average force applied to an object
d = displacement of an object along the line of
action of the force

Work
Units for work are units of force time units
of length (ftlb or Nm)
International unitsjoule (J) is the unit of
measurement for work
1J = 1Nm

Work

To determine the amount of work done

on an object we need to know three
things:
1. Average force exerted on the object
2. Direction of this force
3. Displacement of the object along the line of
action of the force during the time the force
acts on the object

Work
Discus thrower exerts an average force of
1000N against the discus while the discus
moves through a displacement of .6m in
the direction of this force
How much work did the discus thrower do
to the discus?

Work
A weightlifter bench-presses a 1000N barbell
Begins the lift with arms extended and the
barbell 75cm above the chestLowers the
barbell to 5cm above the chestLifts the barbell
back to the starting position 75cm above the
chestAverage force while lowering and lifting
1000N upward
How much work did the lifter do on the barbell
from the start until the finish of the lift?

Work
How much work during the lowering?
How much work during lifting?
Work can be positive or negative
Positive work is done by a force acting on an
object if the object is displaced in the same
direction as the forceExamples?
Negative work is done by a force acting on an
object when the object is displaced in the
direction opposite the force acting on it
Examples?

Work
Sample Problem 4.1 (text p. 105)
A therapist is stretching a patient
Therapist pushes on the patients foot with
an average force of 200NPatient resists
the force and moves the foot 20cm toward
the therapist
How much work did the therapist do on
the patients foot during this stretch?

Work
Muscles can also do mechanical work
When a muscle contracts it pulls on points of
attachment
Limbs move in the direction of the applied force
Concentric muscle action (positive work)
Limbs move in the direction opposite the applied
forceEccentric muscle action (negative work)
No movementIsometric muscle action (no
mechanical work)

Energy
Capacity to do work
Many forms (e.g. heat, light, sound,
chemical)
In sports primarily concerned with
mechanical energy
Kineticenergy due to motion
Potentialenergy due to position

Kinetic Energy
Moving object has the capacity to do work
due to its motion
Mass and velocity of an object affects
kinetic energy and the capacity to do work
Kinetic energy is proportional to the
square of the velocity

Kinetic Energy
KE = mv
KE = kinetic energy
m = mass
v = velocity

Units for kinetic energy are units of mass times

velocity squared, or kg(m/s) or [kg(m/s)]m or
Nm or Joules
Unit of measurement for kinetic energy is the
same as the unit of measurement for work

Kinetic Energy
How much kinetic energy does a baseball
thrown at 80mi/hr (35.8m/s) have? A
baseball mass is 145g (.145kg).
Determining the kinetic energy of an
object is easier than determining the work
done by a force, because we can measure
mass and velocity more easily than we
can measure force

Potential Energy
Energy an object has due to position
GravitationalEnergy due to an objects
position relative to the earth
StrainEnergy due to the deformation of an
object

Gravitational Potential Energy

Related to the objects weight and its
elevation or height above the ground or
some reference point
PE = Wh or PE = mgh
PE = gravitational potential energy
W = weight
m = mass
g = acceleration due to gravity
h = height

Gravitational Potential Energy

How much gravitational potential energy
does a 700N ski jumper have at the top of
a 90m jump?
Bottom of the hill is the reference point

Strain Energy
Energy due to the deformation of an object
Related to stiffness, material properties,
and its deformation
SE = kx
SE = strain energy
k = stiffness or spring constant of material
x = change in length or deformation of the
object from its undeformed position

Strain Energy
How much strain energy is stored in a
tendon that is stretched .005m if the
stiffness of the tendon is 10,000N/m?
In human movement and sports, energy is
possessed by athletes and objects due to
their motion (kinetic energy), their position
above the ground (potential energy), and
their deformation (strain energy)

WorkEnergy Relationship
Relationship exists between work and
energyWork done on an object can
change total mechanical energy
Discus example
What was the velocity of the discus at the end
of the period of work?

WorkEnergy Relationship
Work done = KE + PE +SE
Work done = KE + 0 + 0
Potential energy is zero because the
displacement of the discus was horizontal
m = 2kg
U = 600J
vi = 0m/s
vf = ?

WorkEnergy Relationship
The work done by the external forces
(other than gravity) acting on an object
causes a change in energy of the object
U = E
U = KE + PE +SE

Doing Work to Increase Energy

In sports and human movement, we are often
concerned with changing the velocity of an
object
Changing velocity means changing kinetic
energy
Large change in kinetic energy (and thus a large
change in velocity) requires that a large force be
applied over a long displacement
Similar to impulse/momentum relationship

Doing Work to Increase Energy

Rules for shot putting indicate that the put
must be made from a 7ft diameter circle
Size of the ring thus limits how much work
the athlete can do to the shot by
constraining the distance over which the
putter can exert a force on the shot
Early 20th century, shot-putters began their
put from the rear of the ring

Doing Work to Increase Energy

Technique has now evolved with
shoulders turned toward rear of the circle
in the initial stanceAllowed greater
displacement of shot before release
Work done on the shot increased
Greater height (potential energy) and
velocity (kinetic energy) of the shot at
releaseResulted in longer put

Doing Work to Increase Energy

Sample Problem 4.2 (text p. 110)
Pitcher exerts an average horizontal force of
100N on a .15kg baseball during delivery of a
pitchHand and ball move through a horizontal
displacement of 1.5m during the period of force
applicationIf the balls horizontal velocity was
zero at the start of the delivery phase, how fast
will the ball be going at the end of the delivery
phase when the pitcher releases the ball?

Doing Work to Increase Energy

m = .15kg
F = 100N
d = 1.5m
vi = 0
vf = ?
U = E

Doing Work to Decrease Energy

When you catch a ball, its kinetic energy is
reduced (or absorbed) by the negative work you
do on it
Your muscles do negative work on your limbs
and absorb energy when you land from a jump or
fall
Average force you must exert to absorb energy
in catching a ball or landing from a jump or fall
depends on how much energy must be absorbed
and the displacement over which the force is
absorbed

Doing Work to Decrease Energy

Safety and protective equipment used in many
sports utilizes the work/energy principle to
reduce potentially damaging impact forces
Examples of shock absorbing or energy
absorbing materials
Landing pads (gymnastics, high jumping, and pole
vaulting) increase displacement of the athlete during
the impact period
Sand (long jumper), water (diver), midsole material in
shoes (runner)

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Total mechanical energy of an object is
constant or conserved when no external
forces (other than gravity) act on the
object (e.g. projectile motion)
Drop a 1kg ball from a height of 4.91m
Potential energy (PEi) of the ball just
before letting go is the same as the kinetic
energy (KEf) of the ball just before hitting
the ground

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

We can determine how fast the ball was
going just before it hits the ground
PEi = Kef
mgh = mvf
We could also use the equation from
Chapter 2
vf = 2gy (p. 66)

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Pole vaulting
Total mechanical energy at the instant of
takeoff should equal the total mechanical
energy at bar clearance
Vaulters kinetic energy at takeoff is
transformed into strain energy as the pole
bends, and this strain energy is then
transformed into potential energy
Height of a pole vault largely dependent on
running speed

Power
Rate of doing work
In sports, excelling requires not just the
ability to do a large amount of work, but
also the ability to do that work in a short
amount of time
Power can be thought of as how quickly or
slowly work is done

Power
SI units for power are watts (W)
1W = 1J/s
P = U/t
P = power
U = work done
t = time taken to do the work

P = F(d)/t
P = Fv

Power
Power can be defined as average force
times average velocity along the line of
action of that force
Combination of force and velocity
determines power outputWhat is the
best tradeoff?
CyclingHigher gear (higher pedal forces
and slower pedal rate) versus Lower gear
(lower pedal forces and higher pedal rate)

Power
Characteristics of muscles determine the optimal
tradeoff between force and velocity
As a muscles velocity of contraction increases,
its maximum force of contraction decreases
If the muscles velocity of contraction is multiplied
by its maximum force of contraction for that
velocity, the muscles power output for each
velocity can be determined
Maximum power occurs at a velocity
approximately one-half the muscles maximum
contraction velocity (depending on specific
movement and training status)

Power
Places a constraint on performance
Duration of activity influences the power output
that an individual can sustain
Olympic weightlifter performing a clean and jerk
(high force and high velocity) generates a VERY
LARGE power output, but only for a brief interval
of time
Sprinter, middle distance runner, marathon
runnerPower output progressively decreases
as the length of the activity increases

Summary
Work done by a force is the force times the
displacement of the object along the line of
action of the force acting on it
Energy is the capacity to do work
Energy can be divided into potential (position)
and kinetic (motion)
Potential energy can be divided into gravitational
and strain
The work done by a force (other than gravity)
causes a change in energy of an object
Power is defined as the rate of doing work