Work and Energy

CONTENTS
Work Done by a Constant Force
*Work Done by a Varying Force
Kinetic Energy
Potential Energy
Work-Energy Principle
Mechanical Energy and Its Conservation
Problem Solving UsingConservation of Mechanica Energy
Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
The Law of Conservation of Energy
Power
New words

work energy
kinetic energy work-energy
theorem
joule power
watt gravitational
potential energy
reference level elastic potential
energy
law of mechanical
conservation of energy
energy
New words

work 功 energy 能，能量

kinetic energy 动能 work-energy 功能定理
theorem
joule 焦耳 power 功率
watt 瓦特 gravitational 重力势能
potential energy
reference level 参考水平 elastic potential 弹性势能
energy
law of 能量守恒定律 mechanical 机械能
conservation of energy
energy
 Systems
A system is defined as an object or a collection objects

Open and closed systems -definitions

An open system is defined as a system that allows matter and energy to enter or
leave the system.
A closed （isolated) system is defined as a system that does not allow matter or energy
to enter or leave the system.
For an isolated or a closed system, conserved quantities are constant. An open
system is one that exchanges any conserved quantity with its surroundings.
1,Identify the following as open, closed, or isolated systems:
An empty railroad car moving along the tracks in the rain
Open
A covered pan of water being heated to a boil on a stove
open
The Earth
Open
The universe
Isolated
A well-insulated themos
Isolated
A human being
Open
Work Done by a Constant Force

The work done on an object by a constant force (constant in both magnitude and
direction) is defined to be the product of the magnitude of the displacement times the
component of the force parallel to the displacement.

θ is the angle between direction of motion and applied force

Work is a scalar quantity—it has no direction, but only magnitude, which can be
positive or negative.
If the angle is 90°，then the cosine=0 . the amount work done is 0 J.
If the angle is less than 90°， then the cosine is positive ,the amount of work done
on the object will be positive.
If the angle is greater than 90°， then cosine is negative . the amount work done on
the object will be negative.

The net work

Wnet=W1+W2+W3+...
2,Suppose the meterstick appllies a force of 200 N to the ball.
During this force, the ball moves an overall displacement of 0.53 m in the direction
of the force . how much work is done on the ball by the meterstick if the force is
assumed to be in the same direction as the ball’s displacement ?

106J

How would the above answer change if the ball was moving in the opposite direction
of the force?
-106J

suppose the 200N force is applied at an angle of 15° to the ball’s displacement. How
much work is done on the ball ?

102.39J
3,Determine (a) the work done by each force acting on the crate, and (b) the
net work done on the crate.FP=10N FN=20N mg=20N Ffr=8N .
*Work Done by a Varying Force

Work is the Area Under the Force Displacement Curve

Energy

Here are several different definitions or ideas of energy:

Energy is the ability to do work.

Energy is an abstract scalar quantity that is based on motion or arrangement
Energy is not a substance but is something that can be calculated based on
measurements
kinetic energy

A moving object can do work on another object it strikes. A flying cannonball

does work on a brick wall it knocks down; a moving hammer does work on a nail
it drives into wood.
Kinetic energy is energy due to the motion of an object .

Based on these observations ,we can guess that the kinetic energy of an object
depends in the mass and speed of that object .
Gravitational potential energy

Based on these observations , we can guess that the gravitational potential energy
of an object depends on the object’s mass, height above the gtound , and the
gravitational field strenght of the planet .
To raise an object of mass m to a height h requires an amount of work equal to mgh .
And once at height h, the object has the ability to do an amount of work equal to mgh.
We can say that the work done in lifting the object has been stored as gravitational
potential energy
C

Energy can be transferred

H by an external force exerted
on an object or a system
that moves the object or
B system through a distance;
this energy transfer is called
work.
h

A
 Gravitational potential energy

Gravitational potential energy depends on the vertical height of the object above some
reference level
The higher an object is above the ground, the more gravitational potential energy it
has
The change in gravitational potential energy as the object moves from position 1 to
position 2 is equal to the negative of the work done by gravity itself
Gravitational potential energy belongs to object-earth system , and not to a single
object alone.
Potential Energy
Defined in General

In general, the change in potential energy associated with a particular force is equal
to the negative of the work done by that force when the object is moved from one
point to a second point 。
Potential Energy of
Elastic Spring
KINETIC ENERGY , POTENTIAL ENERGY AND MECHANICAL ENERGY

Kinetic energy (K) is energy due to the motion of an object .

K=1/2 mv2
Potential energy (U) is the energy due to its position relative to some zero position .
it is the energy stored in the system that can be used to do work .
Ug=mgh Ue=1/2kx2
Mechanical energy (E) is the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy of a
body or system

E=K+U
4,For the following examples , identify what form of mehanical energy the object or system
possesses , It is possible to have more than one form of mechanical energy .
A track runner running a race on level ground

Kinetic energy
A drawn bow and arrow
Elastic potential energy and gravitational potential energy
A satellite in orbit around the Earth
Gravitational potential energy
A large boulder sitting on the top of a compresse spring that is resting on a lab tables
Elastic potential energy and gravitational potential energy
A roller coaster car moving over the first hill of the ride
Kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy
5,Suppose a dog is chasing a cat . The dog has a mass of 15kg and is running at a
speed of 5m/s. How much kinetic energy does the dog have as it runs at a constant
speed?

187.5J

6,A construction work is sitting on a metal beam of a skyscraper under construction . He

has a mass of 65kg and is sitting 125 m above the ground. How much gravitational
potential energy does the construction worker have relative to the ground ?

79625J

7,A woman is using surgical tubing attached to a wall to help build muscle in her arms an
legs. The surgical tubing has a spring constant of 150N/m, and she stretches the tubing
from a length of 1.2m to a length of 2.0m . How much elastic potential energy is stored
in the woman-tubing system.

48J
8,A bag of apples with a mass of 2.25kg is hanging from a spring scale at a grocery
store.The bag of apples stretches the spring in the scale by 3.5 cm , and the spring has
a spring constant of 450N/m. If the bag of apples is 1.2m above the floor of the store,
how much mechanical energy in the bag-scale-earth system relative to the floor.
26.74J
Suppose a heavier bag of apples with twice the mass was hung from the same spring
scale , causing the apples to be closer to the floor . would this increase ,decrease ,or
not change the total mechanical energy of the system? why ?
It would increase. Even though the mass is closer to the floor , there is more mass
and the spring is stretched farther
9,A roller coaster car with mass of 17690kg is moving at a speed of 5m/s over a hill that
is 87.4m above the ground . what is the total mechanical energy of the car -Earth system?
1.54×107J
Is it possible to change the total mechanial energy of this system ? If so , how ?If not
,why not ?

Yes , mechanical energy can be increased or decreased if any energy is added to or

removed from the system. For example, an external force could be used to make the
car go faster, or a friction force could convert some of the mechanical energy into heat
energy.
When there is a net force acting on the car, and the car acclerates along a level road,
it is obvious that the speed of the car is changing.This means that the kinetic energy of that
car must also be changing, because kinetic energy depends on the speed of an object.
work-energy principle :The net work done on an object is equal to the change in
the object’s kinetic energy.

If positive net work W is done on an object, the object’s kinetic

energy increases by an amount W.
If the net work W done on an object is negative, the object’s kinetic
energy decreases by an amount W. That is, a net force exerted on an object opposite
to the object’s direction of motion decreases its speed and its kinetic energy.
If no work is done, the kinetic energy of an object will not change.
10,How much net work is required to accelerate a 1000-kg car from 20m/s
to 30m/s.

2.5×105 J
Mechanical energy and its conservation

We now define a quantity E, called the total mechanical energy of our system, as
the sum of the kinetic and potential energies at any moment

How do you know that mechanical energy is conserved

during conversion？
Since mechanical energy is constant in a closed system, changes in a system's
potential energy can result in changes to the system's kinetic energy.
Conditions for conservation of mechanical energy
Only gravity or elastic forces in the system do work
There is no energy exchange between the system and the external system
As the object rises and slows down, the
amount of kinetic energy the object loses
is all converted to gravitational potential
energy. Thus, the amount of gravitational
potential energy gained is equal to the
amount of kinetic energy lost.
simple pendulum
Since mechanical energy is constant in a closed system, changes in a system's
potential energy can result in changes to the system's kinetic energy.

How does the gravitational potential energy of the

Object X-Object Y-Earth system change? All
frictional forces are considered to be negligible.
The Law of Conservation of Energy

Energy can be transformed from one form to another

This observation gives us a further insight into the relation between work and
energy: work is done when energy is transferred from one object to another.
LAW OF CONSERVATION
OF ENERGY

The total energy is neither increased nor decreased in any process. Energy can be
transformed from one form to another, and transferred from one object to another, but
the total amount remains constant.
V0
Power

Power is defined as the rate at which work is done

Power is defined as the rate of energy transfer into, out of,

or within a system.
Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
Forces such as gravity, for which the work done does not depend on the path
taken but only on the initial and final positions, are called conservative forces.
Many forces, such as friction and a push or pull exerted by a person, are
nonconservative forces since any work they do depends on the path.

e.g An object acted on by a constant force F moves from point 1 to point 2 and back
again. The work done by the force F in this round trip is 60 J. Can you determine from
this information if F is a conservative or nonconservative force?
*Work-Energy Extended

We can extend the work-energy principle to include potential energy. Suppose several
forces act on an object which can undergo translational motion. And suppose only
some of these forces are conservative.We write the total (net) work as a sum of the
work done by conservative forces, and the work done by nonconservative forces

The work done by the nonconservative forces acting on an object is equal to the
total change in kinetic and potential energies.