Ch. 9: Work (Lecture 4 – 9.

4)

● S R Naidoo
◦ (Online video Lecture 4)
◦ Mervin.Naidoo@wits.ac.za
Outline

9.3 Energy diagrams

9.4 Choice of system
Choice of system
Different choices of system → different energy
diagrams,eg. using a long rope a person lowers a
basket
Choice of system
● Must be careful not to double count gravitational
potential energy.
◦ Gravitational potential energy always refers to the
relative position of various parts within a system,
never to the relative positions of one component of
the system and its environment.
● Depending on the choice of system gravitational
interaction with the system can appear in energy
diagrams as either as
◦ change in gravitational potential energy or
◦ work done by Earth, but not both.
Choice of system
● Many different ways to choose the boundaries of a system
◦ by looking a different points of view, can get a better
understanding of what energy transfers and conversions
take place
◦ certain choices may make things complicated
◦ when drawing an energy diagram, do not choose a system
with friction at the boundary
● friction → thermal energy which appears at both sides of
surface where friction occurs → difficult to know
whether energy lands up inside or outside the system
● friction at boundary → can do work on the system
◦ but friction is distributed → cannot determine force
displacement
Do not choose with friction at the boundary

● when friction is involved choose the surfaces that

rub against each other to be in the system
Puck and spring

A puck sliding on a horizontal surface hits the free

end of a spring that is held fixed at the other end.
There is friction between puck and surface.
Consider the interval from the instant before the
puck comes in contact with the spring until the
instant the puck has zero velocity and the spring
reaches maximum compression.
Draw an energy diagram for a system that
contains the puck and for which the work done
on the system is nonzero.
Puck and spring

Begin by making situation sketches at the beginning

and end of the time interval of interest.
● The items in my sketches are the puck, the surface,
and the spring
● If I include all three items in my system, the system
is closed, so the work done by external forces on the
system is zero. Because there is friction between
surface and puck, I must keep the two together.
Puck and spring
● Because the puck slows to a stop, its kinetic energy
decreases. Because there are no reversible changes
in the system configuration and because no source
energy is consumed, my bars for ΔU and ΔEs must
be zero. The friction causes dissipation of energy, so
the ΔEth bar shows an increase.
● Because the external force exerted by the spring on
the system points in the direction opposite the
direction of the force displacement, the work done
by the spring on the system is negative.
Section 9.4

When computing energies, should the

gravitational interaction be associated
with?

A)Work
B)Potential energy
C)Neither
D)Either Depends how we
define the system
E)Both
Section 9.4
Clicker Question 4

When computing energies, should the

gravitational interaction be associated
with?

A)Work
B)Potential energy
C)Neither
D)Either
E)Both
Home work
Worked Example.
Please work through this problem and check that you
understand how to answer the questions. Please post on the
forums on SAKAI if you need help.
A piano has to be delivered by a moving company to an
apartment on the second floor of a building. They find that the
best way will be to hoist the piano up to the second floor
window with a rope and pulley system. The 150 kg piano is
hoisted to the level of the window which is 5.3 m above the
ground and temporarily bought to rest. How much work is
done on the piano by (a) the rope; (b) by the force of gravity.
Answer the questions on the next slide which is intended to
guide your thoughts.
 Home work (continued)
1. What is a good choice of system? Should the earth be included in the
system? Sketch the system in its initial and final state?
2. Can the piano be treated as a rigid object? How is the motion of the center
of mass related to the motion of any other part of it?
3. Draw an energy diagram. Note that piano is at rest before and after it is
hauled up.
4. Are there any external forces acting on the system? If so what is the force
displacement on each.
5. How is the change in the systems energy related to the work done on the
system by external forces?
6. Is it reasonable to ignore friction in the pulley so you can say that no
energy is dissapated?
7. Is there enough information to calculate for the unknowns.
8. Calculate the requested results.