Work
Jonny Nelson introduces an animated explanation of energy stores
When a A push or a pull. The unit of force is the newton (N). causes a body to move, work is being done on the object by the force. Work is the measure of how much energy is transferred when a force (\(\text{F}\)) moves an object through a distance (\(\text{d}\)).
So when work is done, The capacity for doing work. has been transferred from one energy store to another. Therefore:
energy transferred = work done
Energy transferred and work done are both measured in joules (J).
Learn more on work done and energy transfer in this podcast
Listen to the full series on ±«Óătv Sounds.
Calculating work done
The amount of work done when a force acts on a body depends on two things:
- the size of the force acting on the object
- the Numerical description of how far apart two things are. For example, the distance from Edinburgh to Glasgow is approximately 50 miles. through which the force causes the body to move in the direction of the force
The equation used to calculate the work done is:
work done = force Ă— distance
\(\text{W} = \text{F} \times \text{s}\)
This is when:
- work done (\(\text{W}\)) is measured in joules (J)
- force (\(\text{F}\)) is measured in newtons (N)
- distance (\(\text{s}\)) is in the same direction as the force and is measured in metres (m)
Example
In this example, a force of 10 N causes the box to move a horizontal distance of 2 m.
\(\text{W} = \text{F} \times \text{s}\)
\(\text{W}\) = 10 Ă— 2
\(\text{W}\) = 20 J
Question
A horizontal force of 50 N causes a trolley to move a horizontal distance of 30 m. How much work is done on the trolley by the force?
\(\text{W} = \text{F} \times \text{s}\)
\(\text{W}\) = 50 Ă— 30
\(\text{W}\) = 1,500 J
Question
12,000 J of energy is supplied to move a small truck a distance of 80 m. What is the size of the force applied?
\(\text{W} = \text{F} \times \text{s}\)
\(\text{F} = \frac{\text{W}}{\text{s}}\)
\(\text{F} = \frac{12,000}{80}\)
\(\text{F}\) = 150 N