Chapter 6

University Physics with Modern Physics
Fifteenth Edition
Chapter 6
Work and Kinetic
Energy
Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Learning Outcomes
In this chapter, you’ll learn…
• what it means for a force to do work on an object, and how
to calculate the amount of work done.
• The definition of the kinetic energy (energy of motion) of an
object, and how the total work done on an object changes
the object’s kinetic energy.
• How to use the relationship between total work and change
in kinetic energy when the forces are not constant, the
object follows a curved path, or both.
• how to solve problems involving power (the rate of doing
work).
Introduction
• A baseball pitcher does
work with his throwing arm
to give the ball a property
called kinetic energy.
• In this chapter, the
introduction of the new
concepts of work, energy,
and the conservation of
energy will allow us to deal
with problems in which
Newton’s laws alone aren’t
enough.
Work
• A force on an object does work if the object
undergoes a displacement.
These people are doing work

as they push on the car
because they exert a force on
the car as it moves.
Units of Work
• The SI unit of work is the joule (named in honor of the
19th-century English physicist James Prescott Joule).
• Since W = Fs, the unit of work is the unit of force
multiplied by the unit of distance.
• In SI units:
1 joule = (1 newton) (1 meter) or 1 J = 1 N ∙ m
• If you lift an object with a weight of 1 N a distance of 1
m at a constant speed, you do 1 J of work on it.

Work Done by a Constant Force (1 of 2)
• The work done by a constant force acting at an angle
to the displacement is:
• This can be written more compactly as:

Positive Work
• When the force has a component in the direction of
the displacement, work is positive.

Negative Work
• When the force has a component opposite to the
direction of the displacement, work is negative.

Zero Work (1 of 2)
• When the force is perpendicular to the direction of the
displacement, the force does no work on the object.

Zero Work (2 of 2)
• A weightlifter does no work on a barbell as long as he
holds it stationary.

Lowering the Barbell to the Floor:
Slide 1

Slide 2

Slide 3

Total Work
• The work done by the net force on a particle as it moves is
called the total work Wtot.
• The particle speeds up if Wtot > 0, slows down if Wtot < 0,

and maintains the same speed if Wtot = 0.
• Video Tutor Solution: Example 6.2

Kinetic Energy (1 of 4)
• The energy of motion of a particle is called kinetic energy:
• Like work, the kinetic energy of a particle is a scalar

quantity; it depends on only the particle’s mass and
speed, not its direction of motion.
• Kinetic energy can never be negative, and it is zero
only when the particle is at rest.
• The SI unit of kinetic energy is the joule.
• Kinetic energy does not depend on the direction of
motion.

• Kinetic energy increases linearly with the mass of the
object.

• Kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed
of the object.

The Work-Energy Theorem
• The work-energy theorem: The work done by the net
force on a particle equals the change in the particle’s
kinetic energy.

Work and Kinetic Energy in
Composite Systems
• The work done by the external
forces acting on the skater is
zero.
• But the skater’s kinetic energy
changes nonetheless!
• The explanation is that it’s not
adequate to represent the boy
as a single point mass.
• Video Tutor Solution: Exam
ple
6.5

Work and Energy with Varying
Forces (1 of 3)
• Many forces are not constant.
• Suppose a particle moves along the x-axis from x1 to x2.

Forces (2 of 3)
• We calculate the approximate work done by the force
over many segments of the path.
• We do this for each segment and then add the results
for all the segments.

Forces (3 of 3)
• The work done by the force in the total displacement
from x1 to x2 is the integral of Fx from x1 to x2:
• On a graph of force as a function of position, the total

work done by the force is represented by the area
under the curve between the initial and final positions.

Work Done by a Constant Force (2 of 2)

Stretching a Spring
• The force required to stretch a spring a distance x is
proportional to x: Fx = kx.
• The area under the graph represents the work done on the
2
spring to stretch it a distance X : W  1/ 2 kX .

Work–Energy Theorem for Motion
Along a Curve
• A particle moves along a curved
path from point P1 to P2, acted
on by a force that varies in
magnitude and direction.
• The work can be found using a
line integral:
• Video Tutor Solution: Example 6.8

Power (1 of 2)
• Power is the rate at which work is done.
• Average power is:
• Instantaneous power is:
• The SI unit of power is the watt (1 W = 1 J/s), but

another familiar unit is the horsepower (1 hp = 746 W).
Power: Lifting a Box Slowly

Power: Lifting a Box Quickly

Power (2 of 2)
• In mechanics we can also express power in terms of
force and velocity:
• Here is a one-horsepower
(746-W) propulsion system.

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University Physics with Modern Physics

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

These people are doing work

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

• This can be written more compactly as:

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Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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• The particle speeds up if Wtot > 0, slows down if Wtot < 0,

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• Like work, the kinetic energy of a particle is a scalar

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

• On a graph of force as a function of position, the total

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Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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• Instantaneous power is:

• The SI unit of power is the watt (1 W = 1 J/s), but

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2020 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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