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1.1 Work: the scientific definition  (Page 4/7)

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Test prep for ap courses

Given [link] about how much force does the rocket engine exert on the 3.0-kg payload?

Distance traveled with rocket engine firing (m) Payload final velocity (m/s)
500 310
490 300
1020 450
505 312
  1. 150 N
  2. 300 N
  3. 450 N
  4. 600 N

(b)

You have a cart track, a cart, several masses, and a position-sensing pulley. Design an experiment to examine how the force exerted on the cart does work as it moves through a distance.

Look at [link] (c). You compress a spring by x , and then release it. Next you compress the spring by 2 x . How much more work did you do the second time than the first?

  1. Half as much
  2. The same
  3. Twice as much
  4. Four times as much

(d)

You have a cart track, two carts, several masses, a position-sensing pulley, and a piece of carpet (a rough surface) that will fit over the track. Design an experiment to examine how the force exerted on the cart does work as the cart moves through a distance.

A crane is lifting construction materials from the ground to an elevation of 60 m. Over the first 10 m, the motor linearly increases the force it exerts from 0 to 10 kN. It exerts that constant force for the next 40 m, and then winds down to 0 N again over the last 10 m, as shown in the figure. What is the total work done on the construction materials?

The graph has meters on the x axis and newtons on the y axis. A straight line runs from the point (0, 0) to the point (10, 10). Another straight line runs from (10, 10) to (50, 10). A third straight line runs from (50, 10) to (60, 0).
  1. 500 kJ
  2. 600 kJ
  3. 300 kJ
  4. 18 MJ

(a)

Section summary

  • Work is the transfer of energy by a force acting on an object as it is displaced.
  • The work W size 12{W} {} that a force F size 12{F} {} does on an object is the product of the magnitude F size 12{F} {} of the force, times the magnitude d size 12{d} {} of the displacement, times the cosine of the angle θ size 12{q} {} between them. In symbols,
    W = Fd cos θ . size 12{W= ital "Fd""cos"θ "." } {}
  • The SI unit for work and energy is the joule (J), where 1 J = 1 N ⋅ m = 1 kg ⋅ m 2 /s 2 size 12{1" J"=1" N" cdot m="1 kg" cdot m rSup { size 8{2} } "/s" rSup { size 8{2} } } {} .
  • The work done by a force is zero if the displacement is either zero or perpendicular to the force.
  • The work done is positive if the force and displacement have the same direction, and negative if they have opposite direction.

Conceptual questions

Give an example of something we think of as work in everyday circumstances that is not work in the scientific sense. Is energy transferred or changed in form in your example? If so, explain how this is accomplished without doing work.

Give an example of a situation in which there is a force and a displacement, but the force does no work. Explain why it does no work.

Describe a situation in which a force is exerted for a long time but does no work. Explain.

Problems&Exercises

How much work does a supermarket checkout attendant do on a can of soup he pushes 0.600 m horizontally with a force of 5.00 N? Express your answer in joules and kilocalories.

3 . 00  J = 7 . 17 × 10 − 4  kcal alignl { stack { size 12{3 "." "00"" J"={}} {} #size 12{7 "." "17" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - 4} } " kcal"} {} } } {}

A 75.0-kg person climbs stairs, gaining 2.50 meters in height. Find the work done to accomplish this task.

(a) Calculate the work done on a 1500-kg elevator car by its cable to lift it 40.0 m at constant speed, assuming friction averages 100 N. (b) What is the work done on the lift by the gravitational force in this process? (c) What is the total work done on the lift?

(a) 5 . 92 × 10 5 J size 12{5 "." "92" times "10" rSup { size 8{5} } " J"} {}

(b) − 5 . 88 × 10 5 J size 12{ - 5 "." "88" times "10" rSup { size 8{5} } " J"} {}

(c) The net force is zero.

Suppose a car travels 108 km at a speed of 30.0 m/s, and uses 2.0 gal of gasoline. Only 30% of the gasoline goes into useful work by the force that keeps the car moving at constant speed despite friction. (See [link] for the energy content of gasoline.) (a) What is the magnitude of the force exerted to keep the car moving at constant speed? (b) If the required force is directly proportional to speed, how many gallons will be used to drive 108 km at a speed of 28.0 m/s?

Calculate the work done by an 85.0-kg man who pushes a crate 4.00 m up along a ramp that makes an angle of 20 . 0 º size 12{"20" "." 0°} {} with the horizontal. (See [link] .) He exerts a force of 500 N on the crate parallel to the ramp and moves at a constant speed. Be certain to include the work he does on the crate and on his body to get up the ramp.

A person is pushing a heavy crate up a ramp. The force vector F applied by the person is acting parallel to the ramp.
A man pushes a crate up a ramp.
3 . 14 × 10 3 J size 12{3 "." "14" times "10" rSup { size 8{3} } " J"} {}

How much work is done by the boy pulling his sister 30.0 m in a wagon as shown in [link] ? Assume no friction acts on the wagon.

A child is sitting inside a wagon and being pulled by a boy with a force F at an angle thirty degrees upward from the horizontal. F is equal to fifty newtons, the displacement vector d is horizontal in the direction of motion. The magnitude of d is thirty meters.
The boy does work on the system of the wagon and the child when he pulls them as shown.

A shopper pushes a grocery cart 20.0 m at constant speed on level ground, against a 35.0 N frictional force. He pushes in a direction 25 . 0 º size 12{"25" "." 0°} {} below the horizontal. (a) What is the work done on the cart by friction? (b) What is the work done on the cart by the gravitational force? (c) What is the work done on the cart by the shopper? (d) Find the force the shopper exerts, using energy considerations. (e) What is the total work done on the cart?

(a) − 700 J size 12{ - "700"`J} {}

(b) 0

(c) 700 J

(d) 38.6 N

(e) 0

Suppose the ski patrol lowers a rescue sled and victim, having a total mass of 90.0 kg, down a 60 . 0 º size 12{"60" "." 0°} {} slope at constant speed, as shown in [link] . The coefficient of friction between the sled and the snow is 0.100. (a) How much work is done by friction as the sled moves 30.0 m along the hill? (b) How much work is done by the rope on the sled in this distance? (c) What is the work done by the gravitational force on the sled? (d) What is the total work done?

A person on a rescue sled is shown being pulled up a slope. The slope makes an angle of sixty degrees from the horizontal. The weight of the person is shown by vector w acting vertically downward. The tension in the rope depicted by vector T is along the incline in the upward direction; vector f depicting frictional force is also acting in the same direction.
A rescue sled and victim are lowered down a steep slope.
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Source:  OpenStax, Work and energy. OpenStax CNX. Nov 09, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11902/1.1
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