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Define Mass, Force, Force of Gravity, Work, Power & Energy

Engineering Term Definition


Mass Mass is quantity of matter possessed by a body. It is a constant
quantity, that is, the mass of a body can only be changed by adding
more matter to it or taking matter away from it. The abbreviation for
mass is 'm' and the unit is kilogram and symbol used is [kg]. Large
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quantities are often expressed in tonnes [t] where 1 Tonne = 10 [kg]
Force A force is required to accelerate or retard a mass.
Force = mass x acceleration
[N] = 1 [kg] x I [m/s2]
The unit of force is the newton [N]
Hence, one newton of force acting on one kilogram of mass will give it
an acceleration of one metre per second per second.
Force of Gravity Masses are attracted to the earth by a gravitational force which is the
product of their mass and acceleration due to gravity 'g'. The value of
'g' is 9.81 [m/s2]. The product of mass & 'g' is known as the weight of a
body and for a body,
Weight = mass x acceleration due to gravity
Weight [N] = mass [kg] x 9.81 [m/s2]

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Engineering Term Definition
Work When a force applied to a body causes it to move, then work has been
done. When point of application of unit force is moved unit distance in
the direction of application, then a unit of work has been done. The unit
of work is the Joule [J],
Work = force x distance
= mass x acceleration x distance
1 [J] = I [N] x I [m]

Power This is the quantity of work done in a given time or the rate of doing
work. When unit work is done in unit time then a unit of power has been
used. The unit of power is the watt [W]
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒
1[𝐽] 1[𝑁𝑚]
1[𝑊] = =
1[𝑠] 1[𝑠]

The watt is a small unit. Larger quantity of power is expressed as


kilowatt [kW] or megawatt [MW]
Energy This is the stored ability to do work and is measured in units of work
done. i.e. Joules [J]

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