WORK, ENERGY, POWER

WORK AND KINETIC ENERGY

▪ The word “work” has a

very specific meaning in
physics.
▪ Work is energy transferred
to or from a body or
system by the application
of force.
▪ This pitcher is increasing
the ball’s kinetic energy by
doing work on it.

Slide 11-25
WORK

Work done in moving an object by a force is defined as follows:

Work = Force  Distance. W = F  d.
Here the force acts along the distance.
Work is a scalar. The SI unit for work is, N.m = joule = J

)
WORK
 Work – the product of the force and the displacement
in the direction of the force.

𝑊=𝐹𝑑

s
note: the force (F) that does the work should be
parallel to the displacement (d).
 The work, W, done by a constant force on an object is
defined as the product of the component of the force
along the direction of displacement and the magnitude of
the displacement

W = (F cos θ) ∆d
 F is the magnitude of the force
 Δ d is the magnitude of the
object’s displacement
 q is the angle between

November 11, 2023

Case 1: when θ = 0°

W = F d cos θ
W = F d cos 0°
W=Fd

In this case, the force and displacement are

parallel to each other. Because the value of the
cosine function is maximum (cos θ=1), the work
o=done by the force is maximum. An example of
this is pushing a book across the table.
Case 2: when θ = 90°

W = F d cos θ
W = F d cos 90°
W=0

This is the case when the force and the

displacement are perpendicular to each other,
Note that cos 90° = 0. No work is done by the
force. An example of this is carrying a book while
walking.
Case 3: when θ = 180°

W = F d cos θ
W = F d cos 180°
W = −Fd

In this case, the force and the displacement are

opposite or antiparallel to each other. Here,
cos 180° = −1, so W is negative. AN example of
Ԧ When you pull a
this is the work done by friction 𝑓.
box to the right, friction exerts a force to the left.
Example 1: A man pulls a 100 N box using a rope
oriented at an angle 30° with the horizontal force on a
rough floor that exerts 8 N frictional force on the box.
Suppose the box has moved to a distance of 10 m to the
right. Find the work done by each force acting on the
box. What is the net work done on the box?
WORK

Exercises
1. A box is pushed without acceleration 5 m along a
horizontal floor against a frictional force of 180 N.
How much work is done?

2. What work is performed in dragging a cargo

container 50 m horizontally without acceleration
when the force of 600 N is transmitted by a steel
cable making an angle of 28° with the ground?
WORK
F

𝑊=𝐹𝑑
System W = F s
mks/SI N·m (joule, J) = N m
cgs dyne·cm (erg) = dyne cm
British ft·lb (ft·lb) = lb ft
WORK, POWER AND
ENERGY
ENERGY

 Energy – the capacity to do work. It is the

property of a body or system of bodies by
virtue of which work can be done.

 Potential energy – energy possessed by a body by

virtue of its position or configuration.

 Kinetic energy – energy possessed by a body by

virtue of its motion.

note: the units in which energy is express are the same

as the units for work.
KINETIC ENERGY

When a body is in motion, it has kinetic energy (KE).

The word “kinetic” comes from the Greek word
kinetikos, which mean “motion”.
Kinetic energy – energy possessed by a body by virtue
of its motion.

EK = mv 1
2
2

Where:
EK = kinetic energy
m = mass
v = speed of the object
KINETIC ENERGY
To obtain the quantitative description of kinetic energy,
consider a body with mass m moving in a straight line
with initial speed 𝑣1 . Suppose a constant net force is
exerted to it parallel to the direction of its motion
over a distance 𝑑 . It will accelerate uniformly to a
speed 𝑣2 . The net work done by this force is

𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑑
KINETIC ENERGY

Using the Newton’s second law 𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝑚𝑎 and UAM eq. 3,

𝑣22 −𝑣12
𝑑=
2𝑎
, the
net work done on the box is
𝑣22 − 𝑣12
𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑑 = (𝑚𝑎)
2𝑎
𝑣22 − 𝑣12
𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝑚
2

1 1
𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝑚𝑣2 − 𝑚𝑣21
2
2 2
KINETIC ENERGY

1
𝐾 = 𝑚𝑣 2
2
Using this equation, you can also rewrite the equation
for the net work done on the object as follows:

𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝐾2 − 𝐾1

𝑊𝑛𝑒𝑡 = ∆𝐾
This equation is known as the work-energy theorem,
which states that

“The net work done on a body is equal to the change in

its kinetic energy”
KINETIC ENERGY

Exercises
1. What is the kinetic energy of a 1,500 N car which is moving
at 4.6 m/s?
2. What average force is necessary to stop a barge of mass
45,000 kg and speed 5 m/s in 150 m?
3. A 1, 500 kg villa-baybay jeepney is cruising at a speed of 30
m/s. The driver suddenly steps on the brake. The jeepney
slides on the road until it comes to a stop.
a. What is the kinetic energy of the jeepney at the moment
the driver stepped on the brake?
b. How much work was done by friction to slow down the
jeepney to a stop?
c. Suppose the road has exerted a frictional force of 135,000
N, how far did the jeepney move before coming to a stop?
POTENTIAL ENERGY

Consider a free-falling ball. As the ball moves down, it

speeds up. Its kinetic energy increases. The free-
falling ball gains kinetic energy at the expense of
another form of mechanical energy. This is the energy
associated with the position of the ball.

Potential energy – energy possessed by a body by virtue

of its position or configuration.
POTENTIAL ENERGY

Potential energy is measured with respect to or relative

to a particular reference point. Consider a ball on top
of a table. With respect to the ground, the ball has a
“potential to fall”. In other words, the ball has
potential energy with respect to the ground.

Note that energy is required for work to be done.

Without potential energy, no work may be done on the
ball.
POTENTIAL ENERGY

The work done by gravity is

𝑊𝑔 = 𝐹𝑑
𝑊𝑔 = 𝑚𝑔 𝑦1 − 𝑦2 = −(𝑚𝑔𝑦2 − 𝑚𝑔𝑦1 )

Here, you see that work done by gravity can be

associated with the term 𝑚𝑔𝑦. This quantity describes
the energy that depends on the position 𝑦 of the
body. This is defined as the gravitational potential
energy (𝑃𝐸).
𝑃𝐸 = 𝑚𝑔𝑦
POTENTIAL ENERGY

You can rewrite the work done by gravity in terms of 𝑈𝑔

Wg = − PE2 − PE1 = −∆𝑃𝐸

In other words, you can say that “the work done by

gravity is equal to the negative change in the body’s
gravitational potential energy.”

Note that quantities are also expressed in joules.

POTENTIAL ENERGY

The negative sign in the equation for work done by

gravity is important. To see consider the following
cases:

Case 1: Work done by gravity when the body is moving

up.
In this case, the displacement and the force are
antiparallel to each other. The work done by gravity
𝑊𝑔 is negative. So ∆𝑃𝐸 is positive and 𝑃𝐸2 > 𝑃𝐸1 .
Therefore, the gravitational potential energy
increases.
POTENTIAL ENERGY

Case 2: Work done by gravity when the body is moving

down.
In this case, the displacement and the force are
parallel to each other. The work done by gravity 𝑊𝑔 is
positive. So ∆𝑃𝐸is negative and 𝑃𝐸2 < 𝑃𝐸1 . Therefore,
the gravitational potential energy decreases.

A force for which the work done does not depend on the
path, but only on the initial and final positions is
called conservative force.
POTENTIAL ENERGY
Exercises
1. A 51N load is hoisted to a top of a building 181 m
high. How much does its potential energy it possesses?

Solution:
𝑃𝐸 = mgy

𝑃𝐸 = weight (y)
𝑃𝐸 = 51 N 181 m
𝑷𝑬 = 𝟗, 𝟐𝟑𝟏 𝐉
POTENTIAL ENERGY
Exercises
2. Suppose a ball with mass 𝑚 = 10. kg is thrown upward from an
elevation of 5.0 m to 12.0 m above the ground. Find the
change in its gravitational potential energy and the work done
by gravity.

Solution:
Recall that potential energy should be measured with
respect to a particular reference point. For this problem, there are
many possible reference points. Consider two cases with different
reference points.
POTENTIAL ENERGY
Case 1: Let the ground be the reference point.
With respect to the ground, the initial and the final
positions of the ball are as follows: 𝑦1 = 5.0 m and 𝑦2 = 12.0 m. The
change in the gravitational potential energy is

∆𝑃𝐸 = 𝑃𝐸 − PE1 = mgy2 − mgy1

∆𝑃𝐸 = mg(y2 −y1 ) = (10.0 kg)(9.8 m/s2 )(12.0m − 5.0m)

∆𝑷𝑬 = 𝟔𝟖𝟔 𝐉
POTENTIAL ENERGY
Case 2: Let the initial position of the ball be the reference point.
The initial position of the ball is 5.0 m from the ground. If
you let this be the reference point, then 𝑦1 = 0 and 𝑦2 = 7.0 m.
The change in the gravitational potential energy is

∆𝑃𝐸 = PE2 − 𝑃𝐸1 = mgy2 − mgy1

∆𝑃𝐸 = mg(y2 −y1 ) = (10.0 kg)(9.8 m/s2 )(7.0m − 0m)

∆𝑃𝐸 = 𝟔𝟖𝟔 𝐉
These result show that the change in the body’s
gravitational potential energy does not depend on the reference
point. The work done by gravity is simply the negative of ∆Ug .

𝑊𝑔 = − ∆𝑃𝐸 = −𝟔𝟖𝟔 𝐉
POTENTIAL ENERGY
You can get much information by looking at a graph of potential
energy as a function of position for conservative forces. This graph
is called the energy diagram.
1. Using the definition of work, show that the negative slope of
the tangent line at points along the curve in an energy diagram
is the force that acts on the body.
2. The figure below shows a theoretical energy diagram for the
body moving along path 𝑥.
a. At which point (s) is/are the force acting on the body zero?
b. At which points does the force have positive values?
c. At which points does the force have negative values?

C D
F
B
A
E
POTENTIAL ENERGY
3. The point in an energy diagram where the force is zero is
called an equilibrium point. There are two kinds of equilibrium
positions-stable equilibrium and unstable equilibrium.
POTENTIAL ENERGY
There is another kind of potential energy that is not gravitational
in nature. For example, when you stretch a rubber band, energy is
stored in the rubber band until you let it go. This kind of potential
energy is called elastic potential energy. (A body is described as
elastic if it returns to its original shape and size after being
deformed by a force).

Consider a spring stretched by 𝐹. The force applied to it is directly

proportional to the elongation of the spring 𝑥. The equation for of
𝐹 is
𝐹 = 𝑘𝑥
Where k is the proportionality constant is called the force constant
or spring constant. You can simply see that the SI unit of the force
constant is N/m. This simple concept in physics relating force and
elongation with each other is popularly known as the Hooke’s law.
CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY ENERGY

A very important principle in physics is that energy can be

converted from one for to another.

Conservation of energy – energy can neither be created nor

destroyed. It can only be transformed.

Consider a free-falling body as an example. Let its speed at

position 𝑦1 be 𝑣1 , and its speed at position 𝑦2 be 𝑣2 . The work
done by gravity is related to kinetic energy through the work-
energy theorem.

𝑊𝑔 = ∆𝐾
The work done by gravity can also be expressed in terms of
gravitational potential energy as follows:

𝑊𝑔 = −∆𝑃𝐸
CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY ENERGY

A Putting this together, you get

∆𝐾𝐸 = −∆𝑃𝐸
K𝐸2 − 𝐾𝐸1 = 𝑃𝐸1 − 𝑃𝐸2

Rearranging the terms gives

𝐾𝐸1 + 𝑃𝐸1 = 𝐾𝐸2 + 𝑃𝐸2
The sum 𝐾 + 𝑈 of kinetic energy and potential energy is the total
mechanical energy (E) of the system. Thus,
E1 = E2
The above equation is the first illustration in the conservation of
mechanical energy. This principle states that the total
mechanical energy at any moment is constant.
CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY ENERGY

Example: A rock is dropped from rest at a height of 20.0 m from

the ground. Use the principle of the conservation of energy to
find its speed at 3.0 m from the ground.

Solution:
According to the conservation of the mechanical energy,
the sum of the kinetic and potential energies at any moment is
constant.
E1 = E2
𝐾𝐸1 + 𝑃𝐸1 = 𝐾𝐸2 + 𝑃𝐸2
1 1
𝑚𝑣1 + 𝑚𝑔𝑦𝑦1 = 𝑚𝑣22 + 𝑚𝑔𝑦2
2
2 2
Because the rock was dropped from rest, then 𝑣1 = 0. This
reduces the equation to
1
𝑚𝑔𝑦1 = 𝑚𝑣22 + 𝑚𝑔𝑦2
2
CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY ENERGY

Simply do the algebra to solve for 𝑣2 .

1
𝑚𝑣𝑣22 = 𝑚𝑔𝑦1 − 𝑚𝑔𝑦2
2
1 2
𝑣 = 𝑔𝑦1 − 𝑔𝑦2
2 2
𝑣2 = 2𝑔 𝑦1 − 𝑦2

The initial and final heights are 𝑦1 = 20.0 𝑚 and 𝑦2 = 3.0 𝑚.

Substituting these give

𝑚
𝑣2 = 2 9.8 2 − 20.0 m − 3.0 m
𝑠

𝐯𝟐 = 𝟏𝟖. 𝟐 𝐦/𝐬
POWER
Which is more tiring, climbing the stairs fast or slow? It is
certainly more exhausting to climb the stairs rapidly
because you do work against gravity at a fast rate. This
rate of doing work is defined as power.

When the amount of W is done during a time interval t,

the average work done per unit of time or average
power 𝑃𝑎𝑣𝑒 is
𝑊
𝑃𝑎𝑣𝑒 =
𝑡

Power – the time rate of doing work.

The SI unit of power is watt (W). One watt is equal
to one joule per second (1 J/s). In the British
system, given that work is expressed in foot-
pounds, the unit for power is then one foot-pound
per second (1ft.lb/s). A larger unit of work is the
horsepower (hp).

A useful conversion factor is

1 hp = 746 W
Example: An electric motor lifts an elevator 9.0 m in 15.0 s by
exerting a force of 1.20 × 104 N. What power does the motor
produce in kilowatts?

Solution:
Known: 𝐝 = 9.0 m; 𝐭 = 15.0 s; 𝐅 = 1.20 × 104 N

Solve for the unknown:

𝑊
𝑃=
𝑡
𝐹𝑑
𝑃=
𝑡
1.20 × 104 N (9.0 m)
P=
15.0 s
P = 7,200 W

To convert watts to kilowatts divide the P(W) by 1,000

𝐏 = 𝟕. 𝟐𝟎 𝐤𝐖
POWER
UNITS OF POWER
1 watt (w) = 1 Joule/s
1 horsepower (hp) = 550 ft·lb/s
1 horsepower (hp) = 746 watts
QUIZ 1 (SECOND QUARTER)
Please see attached Worksheet for Work,
Energy, Energy Conservation, and Power(pdf)
along with this file for your take home quiz.