Work, Power and Energy

WORK, POWER AND ENERGY
WORK
In physics, work is defined as a force causing the movement—or displacement—of an object. In

the case of a constant force, work is the scalar product of the force acting on an object and the
displacement caused by that force. Though both force and displacement are vector quantities,
work has no direction due to the nature of a scalar product (or dot product) in vector
mathematics. This definition is consistent with the proper definition because a constant force
integrates to merely the product of the force and distance.
Read on to learn some real-life examples of work as well as how to calculate the amount of
work being performed.
Examples of Work
There are many examples of work in everyday life. The Physics Classroom notes a few: a horse
pulling a plow through the field; a father pushing a grocery cart down the aisle of a grocery
store; a student lifting a backpack full of books upon her shoulder; a weightlifter lifting a barbell
above his head; and an Olympian launching the shot-put.
What's Not Work
Interestingly, a waiter carrying a tray high above his head, supported by one arm, as he walks
at a steady pace across a room, might think he's working hard. (He might even be perspiring.)
But, by definition, he is not doing any work. True, the waiter is using force to push the tray
above his head, and also true, the tray is moving across the room as the waiter walks. But, the
force—the waiter's lifting of the tray—does not cause the tray to move. "To cause a
displacement, there must be a component of force in the direction of the displacement," notes
The Physics Classroom.
Calculating Work
The basic calculation of work is actually quite simple:
W = Fd
Here, "W" stands for work, "F" is the force, and "d" represents displacement (or the distance
the object travels). Physics for Kids gives this example problem:
A baseball player throws a ball with a force of 10 Newtons. The ball travels 20 meters. What is
the total work?
To solve it, you first need to know that a Newton is defined as the force necessary to provide a
mass of 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) with an acceleration of 1 meter (1.1 yards) per second. A
Newton is generally abbreviated as "N." So, use the formula:
W = Fd
Thus:
W = 10 N * 20 meters (where the symbol "*" represents times)
So:
Work = 200 joules

A joule, a term used in physics, is equal to the kinetic energy of 1 kilogram moving at 1 meter
per second.
ENERGY
A system possesses energy if it has the ability to do work. Work shifts energy from one system
to another.
TEACHER’S INSIGHT
Energy is…
 a scalar quantity,
 abstract and cannot always be perceived,
 given meaning through calculation,
 a central concept in science.

Energy can be stored in motion just as well as it can be stored in position. Is kinetic energy
"used up energy"?
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. An object that has motion - whether it is vertical or
horizontal motion - has kinetic energy. There are many forms of kinetic energy - vibrational (the
energy due to vibrational motion), rotational (the energy due to rotational motion), and
translational (the energy due to motion from one location to another). To keep matters simple,
we will focus upon translational kinetic energy. The amount of translational kinetic energy (from
here on, the phrase kinetic energy will refer to translational kinetic energy) that an object has
depends upon two variables: the mass (m) of the object and the speed (v) of the object. The
following equation is used to represent the kinetic energy (KE) of an object.
KE = 0.5 • m • v2
where m = mass of object

v = speed of object
This equation reveals that the kinetic energy of an object is directly
proportional to the square of its speed. That means that for a twofold
increase in speed, the kinetic energy will increase by a factor of four.
For a threefold increase in speed, the kinetic energy will increase by a
factor of nine. And for a fourfold increase in speed, the kinetic energy
will increase by a factor of sixteen. The kinetic energy is dependent upon the square of the
speed. As it is often said, an equation is not merely a recipe for algebraic problem solving, but
also a guide to thinking about the relationship between quantities.
Kinetic energy is a scalar quantity; it does not have a direction.
Unlike velocity, acceleration, force, and momentum, the kinetic energy of an object is
completely described by magnitude alone. Like work and potential energy, the standard metric
unit of measurement for kinetic energy is the Joule. As might be implied by the above equation,
1 Joule is equivalent to 1 kg*(m/s)^2.
1 Joule = 1 kg • m2/s2
POTENTIAL
An object can store energy as the result of its position. For example, the heavy ball of a
demolition machine is storing energy when it is held at an elevated position. This stored energy
of position is referred to as potential energy. Similarly, a drawn bow is able to store energy as
the result of its position. When assuming its usual position (i.e., when not drawn), there is no
energy stored in the bow. Yet when its position is altered from its usual equilibrium position, the
bow is able to store energy by virtue of its position. This stored energy of position is referred to
as potential energy. Potential energy is the stored energy of position possessed by an object.

Gravitational Potential Energy
The two examples above illustrate the two forms of potential energy to be discussed in this
course - gravitational potential energy and elastic
potential energy. Gravitational potential energy is the
energy stored in an object as the result of its vertical
position or height. The energy is stored as the result of
the gravitational attraction of the Earth for the object. The gravitational potential energy of the
massive ball of a demolition machine is dependent on two variables - the mass of the ball and
the height to which it is raised. There is a direct relation between gravitational potential energy
and the mass of an object. More massive objects have greater gravitational potential energy.
There is also a direct relation between gravitational potential energy and the height of an
object. The higher that an object is elevated, the greater the gravitational potential energy.
These relationships are expressed by the following equation:
PEgrav = mass • g • height

PEgrav = m *• g • h
In the above equation, m represents the mass of the object, h represents the height of the
object and g represents the gravitational field strength (9.8 N/kg on Earth) - sometimes
referred to as the acceleration of gravity.
To determine the gravitational potential energy of an

object, a zero height position must first be arbitrarily
assigned. Typically, the ground is considere
d to be a position of zero height. But this is merely an
arbitrarily assigned position that most people agree
upon. Since many of our labs are done on tabletops, it is
often customary to assign the tabletop to be the zero
height position. Again this is merely arbitrary. If the
tabletop is the zero position, then the potential energy of
an object is based upon its height relative to the
tabletop. For example, a pendulum bob swinging to and from above the tabletop has a
potential energy that can be measured based on its height above the tabletop. By measuring
the mass of the bob and the height of the bob above the tabletop, the potential energy of the
bob can be determined.
Since the gravitational potential energy of an object is directly proportional to its height above
the zero position, a doubling of the height will result in a doubling of the gravitational potential
energy. A tripling of the height will result in a tripling of the gravitational potential energy.

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WORK, POWER AND ENERGY

In physics, work is defined as a force causing the movement—or displacement—of an object. In

What's Not Work

The basic calculation of work is actually quite simple:

W = 10 N * 20 meters (where the symbol "*" represents times)

Work = 200 joules

 abstract and cannot always be perceived,

 given meaning through calculation,

 a central concept in science.

where m = mass of object

To determine the gravitational potential energy of an

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