Work and Energy

Preview
In this chapter you will be introduced to the concept of work and the related concepts of kinetic
energy and potential energy. After completion of the chapter you will be able to calculate the
work done by constant forces, the kinetic energy of a moving object, the gravitational potential
energy of an object, and the power developed by a force.
In addition, you will be able to use the principle of conservation of mechanical energy to solve a
variety of problems in a much simpler way than you have done previously.
Quick Reference
Important Terms
Work The work done by a CO!TAT force acting on an object is the
component of the force along the displacement of the object times the
magnitude of the displacement.
Kinetic energy The energy of an object due to its motion.
Gravitational
potential energy
The energy of an object due to its position relative to the earth.
Total mechanical
energy
The sum of the kinetic and potential energies of an object.
Conservative force A force which does work on an object which is independent of the path
taken by the object between its starting point and its ending point.
Average power The work done by a force on an object divided by the time taken to do the
work.
Work
The work done on an object by a force, F, is
"#.$%
where s is the magnitude of the displacement of the object and & is the angle between the force
and the displacement.
The work done by gravity on an object is
"#.'%
where m is the mass of the object, is the initial height of the object, and is the final height of
the object.
The work done by nonconservative forces acting on an object is
"#.#%
"#.(a%
"#.(b%
Energy
The kinetic energy of an object of mass, m, and speed, v, is
"#.)%
The gravitational potential energy of an object a height, h, above the reference level is
"#.*%
The total mechanical energy of an object is the sum of its kinetic and potential energies.
The work done by nonconservative forces produces a change in the total mechanical energy of
the object.
"#.+%
Power
The average power developed by a force which has done work, ,, in time, t, is
"#.$-a%
The average power developed by a force of magnitude ., moving an object with an average
speed, is
"#.$$%
Theorems and Principles
,ork/0nergy Theorem / the total work done by all forces acting on an object is
"#.1%
2rinciple of Conservation of 3echanical 0nergy / the total mechanical energy of an object
remains constant as the object moves, provided that no net work is done by nonconservative
forces.
"#.4a%
Work Done by a Constant orce
The concept of work plays an important role in physics since it connects, via the work/energy
theorem, ewton5s second law to the important scalar 6uantities of kinetic energy and potential
energy.
Eample ! Positive and negative work
A constant force of '-.- is needed to keep a car traveling at constant speed as it moves *.- km
down the road. 7ow much work is done8 Is the work done on or by the car8
The force needed to keep the car moving is in the direction of the car5s displacement. 06uation
"#.$% gives the work.
Eample "
There must be a retarding force acting on the car in e9ample $ if it is to remain traveling at
constant speed. ,hat is this force8 7ow much work does the force do8 Is this work done on or
by the car8
ewton5s second law applied along the direction of motion of the car gives
or
The work done by the retarding force is then given by "#.$% to be
Eample #
A force is pulling an +*.- kg block across a hori:ontal surface. The force acts at an
angle of )-.-; above the surface. The coefficient of kinetic friction is -.)--, and the block moves
a distance of +.-- m. .ind "a% the work done by the pulling force, "b% the work done by the
kinetic frictional force, "c% the total work done by all the forces.
"a% The work done by the pulling force is
"b%
The magnitude of the frictional force, , acting on the block is found by applying
ewton5s second law to the free body diagram.
In the vertical direction
then
The work done by this force is
"c% The total work done by all forces is
ote that the work due to the gravitational force and the normal force is :ero since these
forces act at a 4-; angle to the motion of the block.
The Work!Energy Theorem and "inetic Energy
et work done on an object always produces a change in the kinetic energy of the object
according to the work/energy theorem "#.1%. The theorem is often very useful in finding the
speed of an object if the net work done by the forces acting on it are known or can be calculated.
Eample $ Using the work-energy theorem to find the speed of an object
If the block in e9ample 1 starts from rest, what is the speed of the block after it has traveled +.--
m8
The work/energy theorem gives
!olving for gives
Another common use of the work/energy theorem is finding information about the forces acting
on an object when information about the object5s speed changes is known.
Eample % Finding an average force when the speeds are known
A baseball pitcher can throw a 4.-- ounce baseball with speed measured by a
radar gun of 4-.- miles per hour "$1) ft<s%. Assuming that the force e9erted by the pitcher on the
ball acts over a distance of two arm lengths, each )+.- inches, what is the average force e9erted
by the pitcher on the ball8
The work/energy theorem gives if the ball starts at rest. The work done is , so
#ravitational Potential Energy
The gravitational force is one of a class of =special> forces called conservative forces. ,hat
makes the gravitational force special is that the work done on an object by gravity depends only
on the initial and final positions of the object. The work does OT depend on how the object got
from the initial to the final position.
Eample & Work done on an object by gravity
7ow much work is done by gravity when a *.- kg object moves $.* m hori:ontally and then
moves 1.- m vertically upward8 ?ertically downward8
The work done by gravity during the hori:ontal motion is
The work done by gravity during the vertical motion is
If the object is moving vertically downward, the work done during the vertical motion is
As the previous e9ample shows, the magnitude of the work done by gravity on the object when it
is going up is the same as the magnitude of the work done by gravity on the object when it is
going down. The negative of the work done by gravity is called the potential energy of the
object. The work/energy theorem then gives rise to e6uation #.#%.
Eample ' Using gravitational potential energy
A 1.-- kg model rocket is launched vertically upward with sufficient initial speed to reach a
height of , even though air resistance "a non/conservative force% performs
of work on the rocket. 7ow high would the rocket have gone if there were no air
resistance8
The e6uation "#.(b% written for the actual motion of the rocket gives
If the rocket were launched with the same initial kinetic energy and no air resistance acts, then
"#.(b% is
or
The Conservation of $echanical Energy
If no friction or other non/conservative force acts on an object then its total mechanical energy
remains constant. This principle is very useful in solving problems involving the motion of an
object. It is often easier to use than ewton5s laws or the kinematic e6uations since it involves
scalars rather than vectors. Also, it only re6uires that you have knowledge about the motion at
the beginning and end.
Eample (
A truck is descending a winding mountain road. ,hen the truck is $'+- m above sea level and
traveling $* m<s, its brakes fail. ,hat is the ma9imum possible speed of the truck at the foot of
the mountain **- m above sea level8
The truck would have the ma9imum possible speed if friction were ignored. In this case, the total
mechanical energy of the truck is conserved as it moves down the mountain road.
Taking the :ero of potential energy at sea level we have
Power
The average power is the rate at which work is done as given by e6uation "#.$-a%.
Eample )
A (1 kg sprinter, starting from rest, reaches a speed of (.- m<s in $.+ s with negligible effect due
to air resistance. The sprinter then runs the remainder of the race at a steady speed of (.- m<s
under the influence of a 1* force due to air resistance. Calculate the average power needed "a%
to accelerate the runner and "b% to sustain the steady speed at which most of the race is run.
"a% In order to find the power, we need to find the work needed to accelerate the runner. The
work/energy theorem gives so
"b% The force that the sprinter must e9ert to run at constant speed is e6ual in magnitude and
opposite in direction to the force e9erted on him by air resistance. The power needed to
run the race at a constant speed is then
2ractice 2roblems
$ The driver of a $*--/kg car slams on the brakes locking the wheels. A total retarding force of
$+-- acts to stop the car in a distance of (-.- m. 7ow much work is done in
bringing the car to a halt8 Is the work done on or by the car8
) A ')--/kg truck descending a *.-; hill is brought to a stop in 4* m. The driver applies the
brakes so that the wheels lock. "a% If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the
truck tires and the road is -.#-, how much work is done by friction in stopping the
truck8 "b% 7ow much work is done on the truck by gravity8
1 In problem $, how fast was the car traveling initially8
' In problem ), how fast was the truck traveling immediately before the brakes were
applied8
* A bicyclist tops the crest of a )-.- m high hill moving with a speed of $.- m<s.
Ignoring friction find the speed of the bicycle at the bottom of the hill.
# A -.#- kg ball thrown vertically upward with an initial speed of $).- m<s rises to a height of
*.$ m. ,hat is the average force e9erted by the air on the ball8 7ow high would
the ball have gone if no air resistance acted on it8
( A swing is observed to rise to a ma9imum height of $.* m above its lowest point.
7ow fast is it going at its lowest point8 Ignore friction and air resistance.
+ A $*-- kg car accelerates from rest to (* km<h in '* s. 7ow much power is
supplied by the engine to accelerate the car8