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Physics 3310

Notes and Problem Sets

Work and Energy
Chapter 6
Giancoli

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STUDENT NAME
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TEACHER’S NAME

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PERIOD
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Lesson 1: Energy Basics

Energy = Motion in Mechanics
Motion = Speed

The more speed an object has the more energy it “carries.”

Direction doesn’t matter – Energy is a scalar, no

Energy transferred to an Object = Object speeds up

Energy transferred away from an Object = Object slows down

How is this energy transferred?

Forces act on objects making them speed up or slow down thereby
transferring energy to them or from them.

Work = Energy in Physics, it is “Energy” that a force produces

when the force pushes or pulls on the mass

Mathematical Definition of Work (Energy) – Dot Product

W = the energy that a

force transfers to or
from an object as the
object MOVES over a
distance ∆x
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1-D Example Problems:

1. A racecar is sitting on the track when a force of 1500 N to the East is exerted on it
which moves it 10 m to the East. What is the angle between the force F and the
displacement Δx? What is the work done by the force?

2. A racecar is moving down the track to the East when a force of 500 N to the West is
exerted on it. The car continues to move 20 m while the force is exerted. What is the
angle between the force F and the displacement Δx? What is the work done by the
force?

2-D Dot Products

How to take the dot product of any 2 vectors.
1. Draw vectors from a common origin
2. Take cosine of angle between vectors. Note: MUST be between 0o and 180o
3. Multiply to get answer ( no )

F = 10 N

θ = 35° Δx = 25 m

Ex. Prob. 1: What is the work done by the above force?

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Total Work (Net Work)

The total work done on a particle that moves from position x1 to x2
where is:

2-D Example Problem

Calculate the total work done on a mass m as it moves from position
x1 = 0 m to x2 = 40 m

F2 = 6 N

F3 = 2 N
20o 50o
F1 = 5 N
F4 = 2 N

X=0 X = 40
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Lesson 1 Problems: Work

1. A 900-N crate rests on the floor. How much work is required to move it at constant speed (a)
6.0 m along the floor against a friction force of 180 N, and (b) 6.0 m vertically?

2. How high will a 0.325 kg rock go if thrown straight up by someone who does 115 J of work on
it? Neglect air resistance.

3. A hammerhead with a mass of 2.0 kg is allowed to fall onto a nail from a height of 0.40 m.
What is the maximum amount of work it could do on the nail? Why do people not just “let it
fall” but add their own force to the hammer as it falls?

4. A grocery art with mass of 18 kg is pushed at constant speed along an aisle by a force F = 12 N.
The applied force acts at a 20-degree angle to the horizontal. Find the work done by each of the
forces on the cart if the aisle is 15 m long.
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5. Eight books, each 4.6 cm thick with mass 1.8 kg, lie flat on a table. How much work is required
to stack them one on top of another?

6. A 280-kg piano slides 4.3 m down a 30 degree incline and is

kept from accelerating by a man who is pushing back on it
parallel to the incline (Fig. 6-35). The effective coefficient of
kinetic friction is .40. Calculate: (a) the force exerted by the
man, (b) the work done by the man on the piano, (c) the work
done by the friction force, (d) the work done by the force of
gravity, and (e) the net work done on the piano.
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Lesson 2: Work – Kinetic Energy Theorem

 For a constant net force, the acceleration is constant and we can
use:
I.
II.

Fx

vi vf

Solve II. for x:

Substitute x into

The quantity is called Kinetic Energy (KE)

Energy due to motion

If an object has speed
it has kinetic energy
Note: KE is a scalar
quantity

Work – Kinetic
Energy Theorem
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TO PROBLEM SOLVE USE

Ex. Kinetic Energy is a Scalar Quantity Problem

A 3 kg ball is thrown at a wall with . The ball loses some energy

when it strikes the wall. The ball rebounds with a velocity
a.) Calculate the change in KE of the particle.

b.) If the final velocity of the ball is what would be the net
work done on the ball?

Lesson 2 Problems: Work – Kinetic Energy Theorem

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7. At room temperature, an oxygen molecule, with mass of 5.31 x 10-26 kg, typically has a KE of
about 6.21 x 10-21 J. How fast is it moving?

8. (a) If the KE of an arrow is doubled, by what factor has its speed increased? (b) If its speed is
doubled, by what factor does its KE increase?

9. How much work is required to stop an electron (m= 9.11 x 10-31 kg) which is moving with a
speed of 1.90 x 106 m/s?

10. At an accident scene on a level road, investigators measure a car’s skid mark to be 88m long. It
was a rainy day and the coefficient of friction was estimated to be 0.42. Use these data to determine
the speed of the car when the driver slammed on (and locked) the brakes. (why does the car’s mass
not matter?)

11. One car has twice the mass of a second car, but only half as much kinetic energy. When both
cars increase their speed by 5.0 m/s, they then have the same kinetic energy. What were the original
speeds of the two cars?
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Lesson 3: Understanding Potential Energy

History of Science: Enrique Joule’s Experiment

What happens as the masses drop?

Potential Energy Kinetic Energy Thermal Energy

(Heat)
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On the way up. On the way down . . .

Click, click, click. . .

yf = h=10 m yf = h=10 m

As the mass falls

As you lift a mass to
from height h, what
height h, what is the
is the work done by
work done by
gravity?
gravity?

yi = 0 yi = 0

As you lift a mass against gravity, picture a roller coaster click-clicking up its very tall
first hill. The motion, Δy, of the coaster is against the force of gravity, so gravity does
negative work. The gravitational potential energy being stored is the following:

Then as the roller coaster reaches the top of the hill, all the potential energy is unloaded.
The force of gravity does positive work (force and displacement vectors in line), and the
roller coaster flies down the hill, converting all that potential energy into heart-in-your-
throat kinetic energy.
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The Mathematical Potential Energy function for Gravity as:

U(y) ≡ mgy

Potential Energy Functions

The value for the potential energy is given by the mathematical
function that is used to calculate the work done by a conservative
force

U(y)

y
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Conservation of Energy – No Friction Problem

Potential Energy is converted into Kinetic Energy and Kinetic
Energy is converted into Potential Energy PERFECTLY if Friction
is not present.

(KEi + PEi) = (KEf + PEf)

The TOTAL ENERGY = KE + PE at any point in time

In Physics

TOTAL ENERGY = ME (Mechanical Energy)

*ME REMAINS CONSTANT IF NO FRICTION*

EX. A 1 kg mass is dropped straight down from a height of 20 m. For each of the heights
below find KE, PE and ME. a.) y = 20 m b.) y = 13 m c.) y = 7 m d.) y = 0 m
20
m

13
m

7m

0m
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Lesson 3 Problems: Potential Energy; Conservation of

Energy
12. Jane, looking for Tarzan, is running at top speed (5.6 m/s) and grabs a vine hanging vertically
from a tall tree in the jungle. How high can she swing upward? Does the length of the vine affect your
answer?

13. A novice skier, starting from rest, slides down a frictionless 25 degree incline whose vertical
height is 125 m. How fast is she going when she reaches the bottom?

14. A roller coaster, shown in Fig. 6-38, is pulled up to point A where it and its screaming occupants
are released from rest. Assuming no friction, calculate the speed at points B, C, and D.
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15. A projectile is fired at an upward angle of 45 degrees from the top of a 265 m cliff with a speed of
185 m/s. What will be its speed when it strikes the ground below? (Use conservation of energy.)

16. A small mass m slides without friction along looped

apparatus shown in Fig. 6-39. If the object to remain on
the track, even at the top of the circle (whose radius is r),
from what minimum height must it be released?
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Lesson 4: Conservation of Energy with Friction

If friction is present, it “robs” an object of some of its

mechanical energy. The sum of kinetic and potential
energies decreases as the frictional force does work on
the object.

(KEi + PEi) ≠ (KEf + PEf)

Specifically:

(KEi + PEi) > (KEf + PEf)

Example Problem:
A bicyclist (combined mass = 90 kg) starts down a hill of
height 50 m with a velocity of 10 m/s and goes 55 meters up
the next hill. How much work did friction do on the
bicyclist? (How much PE and KE was lost?)

Wfr = (KEf + PEf) - (KEi + PEi)

FYI: Force of friction
is always the opposite
Wfr =Ffr ∙ Δx direction of the
motion, so friction
always does negative
Wfr =μFN ∙ Δx work, or takes energy
rather than provides it.

Wfr = μmg ∙ Δx
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Example Problem Conservation of Energy – With Friction

A ball bearing whose mass, m, is 0.0052 kg is fired vertically downward from a height,
h, of 18 m with an initial speed vo of 14m/s. It buries itself in sand to a depth, d, of 0.21
m. What average upward Frictional force, Ffr ,does the sand exert on the ball as it comes
to rest?

Spring gun

vo

d
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Lesson 4 Problems: Conservation of Energy with Friction

17. (II) A 17 kg child descends a slide 3.5 m high and reaches the bottom with a speed of 2.5 m/s. How
much thermal energy due to friction was generated in this process?

18. (II) A ski starts from rest and slides down a 20-degree incline 100 m long. (a) If the coefficient of
friction is 0.090, what is the ski’s speed at the base of the incline? (b) If the snow is level at the foot of
the incline and has the same coefficient of friction, how far will the ski travel along the level? Use
energy methods.

19. (II) A skier traveling 12.0 m/s reaches the foot of a steady upward 18 degree incline and glides 12.2
m up along this slope before coming to a rest. What was the average coefficient of friction?
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Lesson 5: Power
Power = The rate at which energy is being used.

Average time
Average
rate-of-change of
Power work

Instantaneous Calculus Version of

Power the above Equation
Instantaneous
Power

Substituting W into the equation above for P

If F is constant, then

Instantaneous
Power
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Lesson 5 Problems: Power

20. (I) How long will it take a 1750-W motor to lift a 285-kg piano to a sixth story window 16.0 m
above?

21. (II) Electric energy units are often expressed in the form of “kilowatt-hours.” (a) show that one
kilowatt-hour (kWh) is equal to 3.6 x 106 J. (b) If the typical family of four in the Unites States uses
Electric energy at an average rate of 500 W, how many kWh would their electric bill be for one month,
and (c) how many joules would this be? (d) at a cost of $0.12 per kWh, what would their monthly bill
be in dollars? Does the monthly bill depend on the rate which the use the electric energy?
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Lesson 6 Springs
For Spring Forces – Hooke’s Law

x
Unstretched Length
FN
Fs (spring)

mg

 The minus sign means that the force exerted by the spring is always
opposite to the stretching motion.

 The proportionality constant k is called the spring constant and

different for different springs.

 Note: The spring force is always a restoring force. That is, it wants to
restore the mass to the equilibrium position.
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Spring Force Problem

A 2-kg block is connected to a spring with a force constant k=400 N/m as it
oscillates on a frictionless, horizontal plane, as shown below. We choose the origin
of the x-axis as shown so that the spring is unstretched and uncompressed at x = 0.
a.) Determine the work done by the net force on the block as it moves form x1 = 0.1
m to x2 = 0.2 m.
b.) If the speed of the block is 3 m/s when it is at x = 0.1 m , how fast is it moving as
it passes the point x2 = 0.2 m?
Fs
x=0

x1 x2
x
k x1
x1 x2 k x2

a.)

This is line integral with kx

as the integrand. Use the
fundamental theorem of
calculus to get:
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Potential Energy Functions

The value for the potential energy is given by the mathematical

function that is used to calculate the work done by a conservative
force

U(x)
U(y)

y
x
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Work and Kinetic Energy Problem

The 2-kg block in the figure below is moving with a constant speed of 10 m/s on the
horizontal, frictionless plane until it hits the end of the spring. The force constant
of the spring is 200 N/m .
a.) How far is the spring compressed before the block comes to rest and reverses its
motion?
b.) What is the speed of the block as the spring subsequently comes back to its
original length?
10 m/s
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Lesson 6 Questions and Problems

23. You have two springs that are identical except that spring 1 is stiffer than spring 2 (k1 > k2). On
which spring is more work done (a) if they are stretched using the same force, (b) if they are stretched
the same distance?

24. Describe the energy transformations when a child hops around on a pogo stick.

25. A spring has a spring constant, k, of 440 N/ m. How much must this spring be stretched to store
25 J of potential energy?

26. A 75 kg trampoline artist jumps vertically upward from the top

of a platform with a speed of 5.0 m/s. (a) how fast is he going as he
lands on the trampoline, 3.0 m below (Fig. 6-37)? (b) If the
trampoline behaves like a spring of spring constant 5.2x104 N/m,
how far does he depress it?
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27. A mass m is attached to the end of a spring

(constant k) as shown if Fig. 6-40. The mass is
given as initial displacement xo from equilibrium
and an initial speed vo. Ignoring friction and the
mass of the spring, use energy methods to find
(a) its maximum speed and (b) its maximum
stretch from equilibrium, in terms of the given
quantities.

28. An elevator cable breaks when a 900 kg elevator is 30 m above a huge spring (k = 4.0 x 105 N/m)
at the bottom of the shaft. Calculate (a) the work done by gravity on the elevator before it hits the
springs, (b) the speed of the elevator just before striking the spring, and (c) the amount the spring
compresses (note that work is done by both the spring and gravity in this part).