Work

Objectives

1 2 3 4 5
Calculate the dot or Determine the work Define work as a Interpret the work Solve problems
scalar product of done by a force scalar or dot product done by a force in involving work,
vectors acting on a system of force and one-dimension as an energy and power
displacement area under a force vs
position curve
Dot or Scalar Product
 The scalar product consists of two vectors, and , and it is
written as

 From the diagram, we can see that A pertains to the

magnitude of and B corresponds to the magnitude of .
is the angle between the two vectors.
Dot or Scalar Product
 For vectors given by their components: and , the scalar
product could be written as:

 Using the scalar product, you may also find the cosine and therefore the angle between
two vectors using the following equation:
Remember
If the θ = 90°, then the cos θ = 0.
Simply speaking, if the two vectors
are perpendicular with each other,
their scalar product is equal to zero.
 Let’s Practice!

Calculate the dot product of and that is shown in the graph below:
A . B = A B cos Θ
= (10) (12) cos 50°

The dot product between

vectors A and B is equal
to 77.134.
 Let’s Practice!

Calculate the dot product of and that is shown in the graph below:
A . B = A B cos Θ
= (12) (18) cos (138-70)°

The dot product between

vectors A and B is equal
to 80.92.
Work
 For a constant force (constant magnitude and direction), work can be calculated as:

In calculating work, the SI unit

that we use is the joule (J).
1 Joule = (1 newton) (1 meter)
 In general, we state the equation for work as: or
1 J = 1 Nm

 We can deduce from this that the work done by a force F is just the dot product
between the magnitude of the force and the displacement of the object.
WORK AND ENERGY

 Work and energy are closely related. When you do work to move an
object, you change the object's energy. You (or an object) also
expend energy to do work. In fact, energy can be defined as the
ability to do work. Energy can take a variety of different forms, and
one form of energy can transform to another.
 The joule (J) is the metric unit of measurement for both work and
energy. The measurement of work and energy with the same unit
reinforces the idea that work and energy are related and can be
converted into one another. 1.0 J = 1.0 N∙m, the units of force
multiplied by distance.
Work
 Work is scalar even if force and
displacement are both vector
quantities.
 This figure shows a person pulling
a box on a horizontal surface.
 The work done by the applied
force F is given by:
Values of Work

01 02 03
If force is parallel If force is opposite If force is
to the direction of to the direction of perpendicular to
displacement, then displacement, then the direction of the
work is positive. work is negative. displacement, then
work is zero.
When is work zero?

No displacement
Force and displacement is perpendicular
Let’s Practice!

Jenny and had her groceries done. Inside the store her cart was full of
things that she bought. She needs to push her cart into the cashier area with
a distance of 4.5 meters so she applied 50 Newtons on her cart to make it
through the cashier. Determine the work done by the force of Jenny acting
on the cart.
W = F d cos Θ
= (50 N) (4.5 m) cos 0
= 225 N m = 225 J

The work done by the

force acting on the
system is 225 J.
Let’s Practice!

 A force F = 15 N acting on a box 1.5 m along a horizontal surface. The

force acts at a 40.0º angle as shown in the figure below. Determine the
work done by force F.

W = F d cos Θ
= (15 N) (1.5 m) cos 40°
= 17.236 N m = 17.236 J

The work done by the

force on the box is
17.236 J.
Have you seen manong
sorbetero pushing his ice cream
cart?
If the cart moves, he exerts
work to the cart.

When manong sorbetero pushes

his cart at different speeds, the
work exerted on the cart varies
over time.
Work Done by a
Varying Force W=F d

 You can notice that the shaded part of

the graph pertain to the total work done
by the force.
 Thus, we can say that work done by a
certain force F is the area under the
force vs. distance graph.
 The work done by a varying force is
determined graphically, so to do so we
need to plot the force (F) as a function
of distance (d).
Work for Motion Along a Curve
 For an object moving along a
curve, the work done for each
point in the curve may vary since
the force applied on the object
may change in magnitude and/or
direction.
Work for Motion Along a Curve
 A force does work on the object
during an infinitesimal displacement

 To find the total work done, we need to

take the integral of
Tip
When solving for the work, first
investigate under the force-position
curve if you can extract geometric
shapes whose area formulas are
well-known (e.g. triangle, rectangle)
before doing an integral. Sometimes
it is easier to calculate the area of
shape/s under the curve than solving
an integral.
 Let’s Practice!

 Consider this force vs. position graph. What do you think is the total work
done?
• In this case, the
total work done for
the entire eight-
meter displacement
is zero.

• From the initial

position to 4 m, the
work done on the
cart is negative, and
from 4 m to 8 m, the
work done is
positive.
 Let’s Practice!

 Calculate the total work done given the force-position curve in the figure.

W = sum of all (F d) in the

3 regions
= 0.5 (3) (9) +
= (3) (9) +
= 0.5 (3) (9)
= 54 N m = 54 J

Therefore, the total work

done is 54 J.
 Let’s Practice!

 Calculate the total work done given the force-position curve in the figure.

W = sum of all (F d) in the

3 regions
= 0.5 (3) (9) +
= (3) (9) +
= 0.5 (3) (9)
= 54 N m = 54 J

Therefore, the total work

done is 54 J.
Let’s Practice!

 Compute the amount of work done.

Θ = 20°
Let’s Practice!

W = F d cos Θ
 Compute the amount of work done.
= 10 N (10 m) cos 15°
= 96.592 Nm = 96.592 J

Θ = 20°
 Let’s Practice!
Before beginning its initial descent, a roller coaster car is always pulled up the first hill to a
high initial height. Work is done on the car (usually by a chain) to achieve this initial
height. A coaster designer is considering three different incline angles at which to drag the
2000-kg car train to the top of the 60-meter high hill. In each case, the force applied to
the car will be applied parallel to the hill. Her critical question is: which angle would
require the most work? Analyze the data, determine the work done in each case, and
answer this critical question. Θ Force Distance Work (J)
35 deg 1.12 x 104 N 105 m
45 deg 1.39 x 104 N 84.9 m
55 deg 1.61 x 104 N 73.2 m
60 m