CHAPTER 4: WORK &

ENERGY
 WORK & ENERGY
COMMONLY WORK AND ENERGY HAVE
GENERAL MEANINGS TO MOST PEOPLE.
WORK IS DONE TO ACCOMPLISH A TASK,

WHEREAS ENERGY IS USED TO PERFORM A

TASK.
ENERGY IS USUALLY DIFFICULT TO DEFINE,

BUT IT IS SOMETIMES DESCRIBED AS

STORED WORK.
 ENERGY IS GENERALLY CLASSIFIED INTO
EITHER KINETIC ENERGY OR POTENTIAL
ENERGY.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF ENERGY INCLUDE:

CHEMICAL ENERGY
MECHANICAL ENERGY
NUCLEAR ENERGY
GRAVITATIONAL ENERGY
 4.1: WORK
MECHANICALLY, WOK INVOLVES FORCE AND
MOTION.
ONE CAN APPLY A FORCE ALL DAY LONG,

BUT IF THERE IS NO MOTION, THEN

TECHNICALLY THERE IS NO WORK DONE.
 4.1: WORK
THE WORK DONE BY A CONSTANT FORCE (F)
ACTING ON AN OBJECT IS THE PRODUCT OF
THE MAGNITUE OF THE FORCE AND THE
PARALLEL DISTANCE (d) THROUGH WHICH
THE OBJECT MOVES WHILE TE FORCE IS
APPLIED.

WORK = FORCE x PARALLEL DISTANCE

W=Fd
 4.1:WORK
IF A PERSON STANDS AND PUSHES AGAINST
A WALL, TECHICALLY A FORCE IS BEING
APPLIED TO THE WALL, BUT NO WORK IS
BEING DONE BECAUSE THE WALL DOES NOT
MOVE.
 4.1: WORK
AN OBJECT IS BEING MOVED THROUGH A
DISTANCE(d) BY AN APPLIED FORCE(F).
WHEN THE FORCE AND THE DISPLACEMENT

ARE IN THE SAME DIRECTION, THE AMOUNT

OF WORK EQUALD THE FORCE TIMES THE
DISTANCE THE OBJECT MOVES.
 4.1:WORK
WHEN THE AND HE DISTANCE ARE NOT
PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, ONLY ONE
COMPONENT OR PART OF THE FORCE ACTS
THOUGH THE PARALLEL DISTANCE.
F DOES WORK IN ITS DIRECTION OF
n
MOTION, BUT Fv DOESNT BECAUSE d=0.
 4.1: WORK
WORK IS A SCALAR QUANTITY.
FORCE AND DISTANCE HAVE DIRECTIONS

ASSOCIATED WITH THEM, BUT WORK DOES

NOT.
WORK IS EXPRESSED AS A MAGNITUDE

ONLY WITH ITS PROPER UNIT.

NO DIRECTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
 4.1: WORK
WORK HAS THE SI UNIT OF NEWTON-METER
(N-m), WHICH IS FORCE TIMES LENGTH.
N-m COMBINED FORMS A JOULE(J)
ONE JOULE IS THE AMOUNT OF WORK DONE
BY A FORCE OF 1 N ACTING THROUGH A
DISTANCE OF 1 m.
IN THE BRITISH SYSTEM WORK IS

EXPRESSED IN FOOT-POUND(ft-lb) UNITS.

A FORCE OF 1 lb ACTING THROUGH A

DISTANCE OF 1 ft 1ft-lb OF WORK.

 4.1:WORK
WORK IS DONE AGAINST SOMETHING, SUCH
AS WORK AGAINST GRAVITY OR FRICTION.
WHEN SOMETHING IS LIFTED, A FORCE

MUST BE APPLIED TO OVERCOME THE

FORCE OF GRAVITY, SO WORK IS DONE
AGAINST GRAVITY.
W=Fd=wh=mgh (h=HEIGHT)
W=Fd
W=wh
W=mgh
 4.1:WORK
WORK IS DONE AGAINST FRICTION.
FRICTION OPPOSES MOTION.
BELOW, TE OBJECT IS MOVED WITH A

CONSTANT VELOCITY, THEN THE APPLIED

FORCE (F)IS EQUAL AND OPPOSITE TO THE
FRICTIONAL FORCE (f).
THE WORK DONE BY THE APPLIED FORCE

AGAINST FRICTION IS W=Fd.

 4.1:WORK
THE FRICTIONAL FORCE ACTS THROUGH
THE DISTANCE AND THEREFORE DOES
WORK.
THE FRICTIONAL FORCE AND

DISPLACEMENT ARE IN OPPOSITE

DIRECTIONS.
-fd=-W
Wt= Fd-fd=0
WHEN WORK IS
DONE ON AN
OBJECT, WHAT
HAPPENS?
 WHEN WORK IS DONE
AGAINST GRAVITY, AN
OBJECTS HEIGHT IS
CHANGED.
WHEN WORK IS DONE

AGAINST FRICTION, HEAT IS

PRODUCED