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Understanding the Work Formula in Physics

Work is the result of a force acting on an object and moving it a distance. The work formula accounts for the component of force in the direction of movement by including the cosine of the angle between force and distance. Work equals the force multiplied by the distance and cosine of the angle between them, and is measured in Joules.

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Anjali Unnikrishnan
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82 views1 page

Understanding the Work Formula in Physics

Work is the result of a force acting on an object and moving it a distance. The work formula accounts for the component of force in the direction of movement by including the cosine of the angle between force and distance. Work equals the force multiplied by the distance and cosine of the angle between them, and is measured in Joules.

Uploaded by

Anjali Unnikrishnan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Work Formula

Work is the result when a force acts on an object and moves it by some
distance. Sometimes, the direction an object moves is not the same as the
direction of the force. In that case, only the component of the force that acts in
the direction of the movement causes work to be done. The work formula
includes the cosine of the angle between the force and distance for this reason.
If the force and movement are in the same direction, than the angle is equal to
0 radians (or 0). The cosine of zero is: cos0 = 1. The units of work are Joules
(J), where 1 J = 1 Nm = 1 kgm2/s2 .
work = force x distancecosine(the angle between force and movement
directions)
W = Fd cos
W = work (units J)
k = force (units N)
d = distance (m)
= the angle between the force direction and movement direction

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