Part A

Which of the following statements accurately describes the sign of the work done on the
box by the force of the push?
Hint A.1 Find the angle
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
positive

negative

zero

Correct

Part B
Which of the following statements accurately decribes the sign of the work done on the box
by the normal force?
Hint B.1 Finding theta
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
positive

negative

zero

Correct

Part C
Which of the following statements accurately decribes the sign of the work done on the box
by the force of kinetic friction?
Hint C.1 Finding theta
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
positive

negative
 zero

Correct

Part D
Which of the following statements accurately decribes the sign of the work done on the box
by the force of gravity (i.e., the weight)?
Hint D.1 Finding the angle
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
positive

negative

zero

Correct
Making generalizations

You may have noticed that the weight and normal forces do no work on the box. Any force
that is perpendicular to the displacement of the object on which it acts does no work on the
object.
The force of kinetic friction did negative work on the box. In other words, it took energy
away from the box. Typically, this energy gets transformed into heat, like the heat that
radiates from your skin when you get a rug burn due to the friction between your skin and
the carpet. A force that acts on an object in a direction opposite to the direction of the
object's displacement does negative work on the object.
The pushing force acts on the box in the same direction as the object's displacement and does
positive work on the box.
These generalizations allow physicists to rewrite the equation for work as

where is the component of that is either parallel or antiparallel to the displacement.

If is parallel to , as in the case of , then the work done is positive. If is antiparallel

to , as in the case of , then the work done is negative.

Part E
You have just moved into a new apartment and are trying to arrange your bedroom. You
would like to move your dresser of weight 3,500 across the carpet to a spot 5 away on
the opposite wall. Hoping to just slide your dresser easily across the floor, you do not
empty your clothes out of the drawers before trying to move it. You push with all your
might but cannot move the dresser before becoming completely exhausted. How much
work do you do on the dresser?
ANSWER
:

Correct
Remember that to a physicist work means something very specific, and since you were

unable to move the dresser, and therefore . However, you got tired and sweaty
trying to move the dresser, just as you do when you go to "work out" at the gym.Your
muscles are not static strips of fibrous tissue. They continually contract and expand a slight
amount when you exert them. Chemical energy from food is being transformed into the
energy needed to move your muscles. Work is being done inside your muscles, but work is
not being done on the dresser.
Part F

A box of weight is sliding down a frictionless plane that is inclined at an angle above
the horizontal, as shown in the figure .

What is the work done on the box by the force of gravity if the box moves a distance ?
Hint F.1 Finding Theta.
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:

None of these

Correct
The angle given to you in a problem is not always the same angle that you use in the
equation for work!

Part G
The planet Earth travels in a circular orbit at constant speed around the Sun. What is the net
work done on the Earth by the gravitational attraction between it and the Sun in one

complete orbit? Assume that the mass of the Earth is given by , the mass of the Sun is

given by , and the Earth-Sun distance is given by .

Hint G.1 Newton's law of universal gravitation
 Hint not displayed
Hint G.2 Circumference of a circle
Hint not displayed

Hint G.3 Finding the angle

Hint not displayed
ANSWER:

None of these.

Correct
An object undergoing uniform circular motion experiences a net force that is directed in
toward the center of the circle; this net force is called the centripetal force. This force is
always perpendicular to the distance the object moves and therefore never does any work
on the object.
Part H

A block of mass is pushed up against a spring with spring constant until the spring has
been compressed a distance from equilibrium. What is the work done on the block by the
spring?
Hint H.1 Hooke's Law
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:

None of these.
 Correct
The equation for work presented in this problem requires that the force be constant.
Because the force exerted on an object varies with the spring's displacement from

equilibrium ( ) you cannot use to find the work done by a spring. In

actuality the work done by a spring is given by the equation

.
Congratulations! Now that you have the basics down and have been exposed to some tricky
situations involving the equation for work, you are ready to apply this knowledge to new
situations.

Work and Kinetic Energy

Two blocks of ice, one four times as heavy as the other, are at rest on a frozen lake. A person

pushes each block the same distance . Ignore friction and assume that an equal force is
exerted on each block.
Part A
Which of the following statements is true about the kinetic energy of the heavier block after
the push?
Hint A.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
Hint A.2 Find the work done on each block
Hint not displayed

ANSWER
It is smaller than the kinetic energy of the lighter block.
:

It is equal to the kinetic energy of the lighter block.

It is larger than the kinetic energy of the lighter block.

It cannot be determined without knowing the force and the mass of

each block.

Correct
The work-energy theorem states that the change in kinetic energy of an object equals the
net work done on that object. The only force doing work on the blocks is the force from the
person, which is the same in both cases. Since the initial kinetic energy of each block is
zero, both blocks have the same final kinetic energy.
Part B
Compared to the speed of the heavier block, how fast does the light block travel?
Hint B.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
Hint B.2 Proportional reasoning
Hint not displayed

ANSWER
one quarter as fast
:

half as fast

the same speed

twice as fast

four times as fast

Correct
Since the kinetic energy of the lighter block is equal to the kinetic energy of the heavier
block, the lighter block must be moving faster than the heavier block.

Part C
Now assume that both blocks have the same speed after being pushed with the same

force . What can be said about the distances the two blocks are pushed?
Hint C.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
Hint C.2 Relate the kinetic energies of the blocks
Hint not displayed

Hint C.3 Compare the amount of work done on each block

Hint not displayed
 ANSWER: The heavy block must be pushed 16 times farther than the light
block.

The heavy block must be pushed 4 times farther than the light
block.

The heavy block must be pushed 2 times farther than the light
block.

The heavy block must be pushed the same distance as the light
block.

The heavy block must be pushed half as far as the light block.

Correct
Because the heavier block has four times the mass of the lighter block, when the two blocks
travel with the same speed, the heavier block will have four times as much kinetic energy.
The work-energy theorem implies that four times more work must be done on the heavier
block than on the lighter block. Since the same force is applied to both blocks, the heavier
block must be pushed through four times the distance as the lighter block.

Introduction to Potential Energy

Learning Goal: Understand that conservative forces can be removed from the work integral
by incorporating them into a new form of energy called potential energy that must be added
to the kinetic energy to get the total mechanical energy.
The first part of this problem contains short-answer questions that review the work-energy
theorem. In the second part we introduce the concept of potential energy. But for now, please
answer in terms of the work-energy theorem.
Work-Energy Theorem
The work-energy theorem states

where is the work done by all forces that act on the object, and and are the initial
and final kinetic energies, respectively.
Part A
The work-energy theorem states that a force acting on a particle as it moves over a ______
changes the ______ energy of the particle.
Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks above:
ANSWER
distance / potential
:
 distance / kinetic

vertical displacement / potential

none of the above

Correct

Part B
To calculate the change in energy, you must know the force as a function of _______. The
work done by the force causes the energy change.
Choose the best answer to fill in the blank above:
ANSWER
acceleration
:

work

distance

potential energy

Correct

Part C

To illustrate the work-energy concept, consider the case of a stone falling from to
under the influence of gravity.
Using the work-energy concept, we say that work is done by the gravitational _____,
resulting in an increase of the ______ energy of the stone.
Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks above:
ANSWER
force / kinetic
:

potential energy / potential

force / potential
 potential energy / kinetic

Correct

Potential Energy You should read about potential energy in your text before answering the
following questions.
Potential energy is a concept that builds on the work-energy theorem, enlarging the concept
of energy in the most physically useful way. The key aspect that allows for potential energy
is the existence of conservative forces, forces for which the work done on an object does not
depend on the path of the object, only the initial and final positions of the object. The
gravitational force is conservative; the frictional force is not.

The change in potential energy is the negative of the work done by conservative forces.
Hence considering the initial and final potential energies is equivalent to calculating the
work done by the conservative forces. When potential energy is used, it replaces the
work done by the associated conservative force. Then only the work due
to nonconservative forces needs to be calculated.

In summary, when using the concept of potential energy, only nonconservative forces
contribute to the work, which now changes the total energy:

where and are the final and initial potential energies, and is the work due only to
nonconservative forces.

Now, we will revisit the falling stone example using the concept of potential energy.
Part D
Rather than ascribing the increased kinetic energy of the stone to the work of gravity, we
now (when using potential energy rather than work-energy) say that the increased kinetic
energy comes from the ______ of the _______ energy.
Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks above:
ANSWER
work / potential
:

force / kinetic

change / potential

Correct

Part E
This process happens in such a way that total mechanical energy, equal to the ______ of
the kinetic and potential energies, is _______.
Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks above:
ANSWER
sum / conserved
:

sum / zero

sum / not conserved

difference / conserved

Correct

Hill's Law Conceptual Question

Imagine that you're loading a pickup truck with bags of groceries. You notice that the
smaller the weight you attempt to lift, the quicker you can lift it. However, you also notice
that there is a limit to how quickly you can lift even very small weights, and that above a
certain weight, you can no longer lift the weight at all. The detailed relationship between the
contraction velocity of a muscle (the speed with which you can lift something) and the
weight you are attempting to lift, is known as Hill’s law.
Part A
Based on this description, which of the following graphs of velocity vs. force is a possible

representation of Hill’s law?

Hint A.1 Maximum weight
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
A

Correc
t

Part B
The powerexerted by a muscle is the product of the force exerted and the velocity of
contraction. The area of which of these shaded regions represents the power exerted while a

weight is lifted at maximum speed?

Hint B.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
A

C
 D

None of the above

Correct
The power produced by a muscle is represented by the area of the rectangle formed by the
two coordinate axes and the point on the Hill’s law graph representing the weight being
lifted. Notice that if you lift a very large weight (near the limit of the maximum force your
muscle can produce), the area of this "long and skinny" rectangle can be quite small. If you
lift a very small weight, the area of this "tall and skinny" rectangle can also be quite small.
However, if you lift a weight near the middle of your weightlifting range, the area of the
rectangle, and hence the power produced by your muscle, is a maximum.

Stretching a Spring

As illustrated in the figure, a spring with spring constant is stretched from to ,

where is the equilibrium position of the spring.

Part A
During which interval is the largest amount of energy required to stretch the spring?
Hint A.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
From to
 From to

From to

The energy required is the same in all three intervals.

Correct
A graph of the force exerted on the spring versus the displacement of the spring is shown in

the figure. Recall that on a graph of force

as a function of position, the work done by the force is represented by the area under the

curve. The work done by the hand in the first segment to pull the spring from

to is represented by a single triangle. The area under the second segment from

to is three times larger than the first segment, and the area under the third segment

from to is five times larger than in the first segment. So more energy is
required to pull the spring through the third segment.
Part B

A spring is stretched from to , where is the equilibrium position of the

spring. It is then compressed from to . What can be said about the energy
required to stretch or compress the spring?
Hint B.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
ANSWER:
More energy is required to stretch the spring than to compress it.

The same amount of energy is required to either stretch or compress

the spring.

Less energy is required to stretch the spring than to compress it.

Correct
The work done to stretch or compress a spring from equilibrium is given by

,
where is the distance away from equilibrium that the spring moves. Since is squared in

the equation for work, stretching ( ) or compressing ( ) a spring by the same

distance requires the same positive amount of work.

Part C
Now consider two springs A and B that are attached to a wall. Spring A has a spring
constant that is four times that of the spring constant of spring B. If the same amount of
energy is required to stretch both springs, what can be said about the distance each spring is
stretched?
Hint C.1 How to approach this problem
Hint not displayed
Hint C.2 Use proportional reasoning to find a relationship between the springs
Hint not displayed

ANSWER
Spring A must stretch 4 times as far as spring B
:

Spring A must stretch 2 times as far as spring B.

Spring A must stretch the same distance as spring B.

 Spring A must stretch half the distance spring B stretches.

Spring A must stretch one-quarter of the distance spring B stretches.

Correct

The energy required to stretch a spring is proportional to and to . If is four times

, must be half that of , so the energy required is the same for both springs.
Part D

Two identical springs are attached to two different masses, and , where is

greater than . The masses lie on a frictionless surface. Both springs are compressed the

same distance, , as shown in the figure. Which of the following statements descibes the
energy required to compress spring A and spring B?

ANSWER
Spring A requires more energy than spring B.
:

Spring A requires the same amount of energy as spring B.

Spring A requires less energy than spring B.

 Not enough information is provided to answer the question.

Correct
Good job; you have realized an important fact. The work done on a spring to compress it a

distance is given by . The amount of mass attached to the spring does not affect the
work required to stretch or compress the spring.

Projectile Motion and Conservation of Energy Ranking Task

Part A
Six baseball throws are shown below. In each case the baseball is thrown at the same initial

speed and from the same height above the ground. Assume that the effects of air
resistance are negligible. Rank these throws according to the speed of the baseball the
instant before it hits the ground.
Hint A.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
Rank from largest to smallest. To rank items as equivalent, overlap them.
ANSWER All the same!
:

Top of Form
Bottom of Form
View
Correct
This answer is best understood in terms of conservation of energy. The initial energy of the
ball is independent of the direction in which it is thrown. The initial and final potential
energies of the ball are the same regardless of the trajectory. Therefore, the final kinetic
energy, and therefore the final speed, of the ball must be the same no matter in what
direction it is thrown.

Kinetic and Potential Energy of Baseball Graphing Question

A baseball is thrown directly upward at time and is caught again at time .

Assume that air resistance is so small that it can be ignored and that the zero point of
gravitational potential energy is located at the position at which the ball leaves the thrower's
hand.
Part A
Sketch a graph of the kinetic energy of the baseball.
Hint A.1 Determine the sign of the initial kinetic energy
At the instant the ball leaves the thrower's hand, is its kinetic energy positive, negative, or
zero?
ANSWER
: positive

negative

zero

Correct

Hint A.2 The shape of the kinetic energy graph

The ball's speed decreases linearly from its initial value, which we can denote by ,
because of the constant acceleration due to gravity. The velocity of the ball can be
described by the equation

.
Since kinetic energy depends on the square of velocity, how does the kinetic energy vary
with time?
Also, note that the ball reaches its maximum height halfway between the time that it
leaves the thrower's hand and the moment it is caught. What is the speed of the ball when
it reaches the maximum height?

ANSWER Draw graph (0,100) (1,36) (2,4) (2.5,0) (3,4) (4,36)

: (5,100)

Top of Form
Bottom of Form
View
Correct

Part B
Based on the graph of kinetic energy given (gray curve in the graphing window), sketch a
graph of the baseball's gravitational potential energy.
Hint B.1 Initial gravitational potential energy
Hint not displayed
Hint B.2 The shape of the gravitational potential energy graph
Hint not displayed
Hint B.3 Using conservation of energy
Hint not displayed
ANSWER: Draw graph (0,0) (1,64) (2,96) (2.5,100) (3,96) (4,64)
(5,0)

Top of Form
Bottom of Form
View
Correct

Part C
Based on the kinetic and potential energy graphs given, sketch a graph of the baseball's
total energy.
Hint C.1 Total energy
Hint not displayed
ANSWER: Graph Y=100

Top of Form
Bottom of Form
View
Correct

Properties of Circular Orbits

Learning Goal: To find some of the parameters characterizing an object moving in a
circular orbit.
The motivation for Isaac Newton to discover his laws of motion was to explain the
properties of planetary orbits that were observed by Tycho Brahe and analyzed by Johannes
Kepler. A good starting point for understanding this (as well as the speed of the space shuttle
and the height of geostationary satellites) is the simplest orbit: a circular one. This problem

concerns the properties of circular orbits for a satellite orbiting a planet of mass .

For all parts of this problem, where appropriate, use for the universal gravitational
constant.
Part A

Find the orbital speed of a satellite in a circular orbit of radius around a planet of

mass .
Hint A.1 Find the force
Hint not displayed
Hint A.2 Find the radial acceleration
Hint not displayed

Hint A.3 Newton's second law

Hint not displayed

Express the orbital speed in terms of , , and .

ANSWER
:

= Cor
rect

Part B

Find the kinetic energy of a satellite with mass in a circular orbit of radius around a

planet of mass .

Express your answer in terms of , , , and .

ANSWER
:

= Cor
rect

Part C

The potential energy of an object of mass that is separated by a distance from an

object of mass is given by

What is the kinetic energy of the satellite?

Express your answer in terms of the potential energy .

ANSWER
:

Cor
= rec
t

You have found that . The total mechanical energy of the satellite is the sum of
the kinetic and potential energies. This means that

.
Part D

Find the satellite's orbital period .

Hint D.1 How to approach the problem
Hint not displayed
Hint D.2 Find the distance the satellite travels during one orbit
Hint not displayed
Express your answer in terms of , , , and .
ANSWER
:

= Corr
ect

Part E
Find an expression for the square of the orbital period.

Express your answer in terms of , , , and .

ANSWER
:

= Cor
rect