DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND

Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE

Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

MODULE 4: KINETICS OF PARTICLES:

WORK AND ENERGY
The learning objectives:

At the end of this lesson, the learner will be able to:

 Develop the principle of work and energy and apply it to solve problems that involve force,
velocity and displacement.
 Study problems that involve power and efficiency.
 Introduce the concept of a conservative force and apply the theorem of conservation of
energy to solve kinetic problems.

COURSE MATERIAL:

THE WORK OF A FORCE

In mechanics a force does work on a particle only when the particle undergoes a displacement
in the direction of the force. So when a force acting on a particle causes a displacement of the
particle, the force is then said to have done work on the particle.

 The work done by the force in displacing a particle is a scalar quantity

defined by

Or

where | | and is the angle between the tails of and .

Unit of work (SI) is N-m also called Joule (J)

 Work of a Variable Force. If a particle undergoes a finite displacement along its path
from to or to the work done is given by
∫ ∫

 Work of a Constant Force Moving Along a Straight Line. Since both F and θ are
constant (straight line path)

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 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

 Work of a Weight W.

where the vertical displacement is measured positive upward (so the work of the weight
is positive if the particle is displaced downward and negative if displaced upward).

 Work of a Spring Force

o Work of a Spring: The work of a spring is of the form , where is the
spring stiffness and is the stretch or compression of the spring.

o Work Done ON the Spring: If a spring is elongated or compressed from a position

to a further position , the work done on the spring by the force developed in
the (linearly elastic) spring is positive, since, in each case, the force and
displacement are in the same direction. Then

o Work Done on a Body (or Particle) Attached to a Spring: In this case, the force
exerted on the body is opposite to that exerted on the spring. Hence, the force
will do negative work on the body (particle):

Page 2 of 8
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

PRINCIPLE OF WORK AND ENERGY

 The principle of work and energy for a particle is described by the equation
∑
where and represent the kinetic energy of the particle at point 1 and
point 2, respectively, while ∑ represents the work done by all the forces acting on the
particle as the particle moves from point 1 to point 2.

 The principle of work and energy is used to solve kinetic problems that involve velocity,
force and displacement.

SOLVING PROBLEMS USING THE PRINCIPLE OF WORK AND ENERGY

 Work (Free-Body Diagram)
o Establish the inertial coordinate system and draw a free-body diagram of the
particle in order to account for all the forces that do work on the particle as it
moves along its path.
 Principle of Work and Energy
o Apply the principle of work and energy, ∑ .
o The kinetic energy at the initial and final points is always positive, since it involves
the speed squared ( ).
o A force does work when it moves through a displacement in the direction of the
force.
o Work is positive when the force component is in the same direction as its
displacement, otherwise it is negative.
o Forces that are functions of displacement must be integrated to obtain the work.
Graphically, the work is equal to the area under the force-displacement curve.
o The work of a weight is the product of the weight magnitude and the vertical
displacement, . It is positive when the weight moves downwards and
negative when the weight moves upwards.
o The work of a spring is of the form , where is the spring stiffness and
is the stretch or compression of the spring.

PRINCIPLE OF WORK AND ENERGY FOR A SYSTEM OF PARTICLES

 The principle of work and energy can be extended to include a system of particles isolated
within an enclosed region of space. Symbolically, the principle looks like
∑

In words, this equations states that: the system’s initial kinetic energy (∑ ) plus the work
done by all the external and internal forces acting on the particles of the system (∑ ) is
equal to the system’s final kinetic energy (∑ ).

Note that although the internal forces on adjacent particles occur in equal but opposite
collinear pairs, the total work done by each of these forces will, in general, not cancel out since
the paths over which corresponding particles travel will be different. There are two important
exceptions to this rule which often occur in practice:

o When Particles are Contained within the Boundary of a Translating Rigid Body.
o When Particles are connected by Inextensible Cables: In these cases, adjacent
particles exert equal but opposite internal forces that have components which undergo
the same displacement, and therefore the work of these forces cancels.

 Special Class of Problems Involving Work of Friction Caused by Sliding: We note also that
∑ can be applied to problems involving sliding friction; however, it should
be realized that the work of the resultant frictional force is not represented by ;

Page 3 of 8
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

instead, this term represents both the external work of friction ( ) and internal work
( ) which is converted into various forms of internal energy, such as heat.

Problems:

1. A 1500-lb crate is pulled along the ground with a constant speed for a distance of 25 ft,
using a cable that makes an angle of 15° with the horizontal. Determine the tension in the
cable and the work done by this force. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the
ground and the crate is .

2. The 1.5-kg block slides along a smooth plane

and strikes a nonlinear spring with a speed of
⁄ . The spring is termed “nonlinear”
because it has a resistance of , where
⁄ . Determine the speed of the block
after it has compressed the spring .

3. Springs AB and CD have a stiffness of ⁄

and ⁄ , respectively, and both springs
have an unstretched length of 600 mm. If the 2-kg
smooth collar starts from rest when the springs are
unstretched, determine the speed of the collar when
it has moved 200 mm.

4. The 0.5-kg ball of negligible size is fired up the smooth

vertical circular track using the spring plunger. The plunger
keeps the spring compressed 0.08 m when .
Determine how far it must be pulled back and released so
that the ball will begin to leave the track when .

5. Marbles having a mass of 5 g fall from rest at A through

the glass tube and accumulate in the can at C. Determine
the placement R of the can from the end of the tube and
the speed at which the marbles fall into the can. Neglect
the size of the can.

6. In the system of blocks shown, if m1 = 3kg and m2 = 5 kg, determine the velocities of the
blocks after the block of mass m2 displaces by 2m. Take μ = 0.15.

Page 4 of 8
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

POWER AND EFFICIENCY

 Power: Power is defined as the amount of work performed per unit of time. Hence, the
power generated by a machine or engine which performs an amount of work within a
time interval , is given by

where is the velocity of the point which is acted upon by the force .
o Consequently power is a scalar with basic units watt (W) in the SI system and
horsepower (hp) in the FPS system.
⁄ ⁄
⁄

 Efficiency: The mechanical efficiency of a machine is defined by

or

Since machines consist of a series of moving parts, frictional forces will always be
developed within the machine. As a result, extra energy or power is needed to overcome
these forces. Consequently, the efficiency of a machine is always less than one.

COMPUTING THE POWER SUPPLIED TO A BODY

 First determine the external force acting on the body which causes the motion. This
force is usually developed by a machine or engine placed either within or external to the
body.
 If the body is accelerating, it may be necessary to draw its free-body diagram and apply
the equation of motion ∑ ) to determine .
 Once and the velocity of the point where is applied have been found, the power is
determined by multiplying the force magnitude by the component of velocity acting in the
direction of i.e., .
 In some problems, the power may be found by calculating the work done by per unit of
time ( or ).

Page 5 of 8
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

PROBLEMS:

1. The diesel engine of a 400-Mg train increases the train’s

speed uniformly from rest to 10 m/s in 100 s along a
horizontal track. Determine the average power develope

2. The material hoist and the load have a total mass of 800 kg and the
counterweight C has a mass of 150 kg. At a given instant, the hoist
has an upward velocity of 2 m/s and an acceleration of 1.5 m/s2.
Determine the power generated by the motor M at this instant if it
operates with an efficiency of .

3. The 1.2-Mg mine car is being pulled by the winch M mounted on the
⁄
car. If the winch exerts a force of ( ) on the cable, where
is in seconds, determine the power output of the winch when ,
starting from rest.

4. Sand is being discharged from the

silo at A to the conveyor and
transported to the storage deck at
the rate of 360,000 lb/hr. An electric
motor is attached to the conveyor to
maintain the speed of the belt at 3
ft/s. Determine the average power
generated by the motor.

5. The 50-lb block rests on the rough surface for which the coefficient of kinetic friction is
. A force , where is in ft, acts on the block in the direction
shown. If the spring is originally unstretched ( ) and the block is at rest, determine the
power developed by the force the instant the block has moved .

Page 6 of 8
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

CONSERVATIVE FORCES AND POTENTIAL ENERGY

 Conservative Force: When the work done by a force in moving a particle from one point
to another is independent of the path followed by the particle, then this force is called a
conservative force. e.g.,
o The work done by the weight of a particle is independent of the path of the particle
i.e., the work done depends only on particle’s vertical displacement.
o The work done by a spring force acting on a particle is independent of the path of
the particle i.e., it depends only on the extension or compression of the spring.
o In contrast, we note that the force of friction exerted on a moving object by a fixed
surface depends on the path of the object i.e., the longer the path, the greater the
work. Consequently, frictional forces are non-conservative. The work is dissipated
from the body in the form of heat.

 Potential Energy: Potential energy is a measure of the amount of work a conservative

force will do when it moves from a given position to a reference datum.
o Gravitational Potential Energy. The gravitational potential energy of a particle of
weight W is

where is the position of the particle measured positive upward from an arbitrarily
selected datum.
o Elastic Potential Energy. The elastic potential energy due to a spring’s
configuration (stretched or compressed a distance from its unstretched position)
is

Note that is always positive since, in the deformed position, the force of the
spring has the capacity for always doing positive work on the particle when the
spring is returned to its unstretched position.

 Potential Function: In general, if a particle is subjected to both gravitational and elastic

forces, the particle’s potential energy can be expressed as a potential function, which is
the algebraic sum

 Proving a Force is Conservative: In fact, a force F is related to its potential function

by the equation

In other words if a force and its potential function satisfy this equation, then is a
conservative force.

CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

 If only conservative forces are applied to a body, the principle of work and energy
becomes the principle of conservation of (mechanical) energy described by:

In other words, during the motion, the sum of the particle’s kinetic and potential energies
remains constant (i.e., kinetic energy must be transformed into potential energy and vice
versa during the motion).

 System of Particles: If a system of particles is subjected to only conservative forces, the

equation of conservation of energy for the system is
∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

Page 7 of 8
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines ARCHITECTURE
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 DHVSU Main Campus, Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph E-Mail Address: ceadhvtsu@gmail.com

SOLVING PROBLEMS USING THE CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

The conservation of energy equation is used to solve problems involving velocity, displacement
and conservative force systems. It is generally easier to apply than the principle of work and
energy because the energy equation just requires specifying the particle’s kinetic and potential
energies at only two points along the path, rather than determining the work done when the
particle moves through a displacement. The procedure is as follows:
 Potential Energy
o Draw two diagrams showing the particle located at its initial and final points along
the path.
o If the particle is subjected to a vertical displacement, establish the fixed horizontal
datum from which to measure the particle’s gravitational potential energy .
o Data pertaining to the elevation of the particle from the datum and the extension
or compression of any connecting springs can be determined from the geometry
associated with the two diagrams.
o – Recall , where is positive upward from the datum and negative
downward from the datum; also .
 Conservation of Energy
o Apply the equation .
o When determining the kinetic energy, , the particle’s speed must be
measured from an inertial reference time.

References:

• Beer and Johnston; Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Dynamics, 10th SI Ed.
• R.C. Hibbeler; Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics, 14th Ed.
• Kraige and Meriam; Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics, 8th Ed.

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