Work and Energy

Scalar product
- Also known as “dot product”

Illustration: If we have two vectors A and B

Always take note that 𝝷 is the angle

between vectors A and B.
Scalar product using unit vectors
Energy
- defined as the capacity of the system to perform
work.
- exists in several forms such as heat, kinetic or
mechanical energy, potential energy or electric
energy and can be converted from one form into
another.
- according to the principle of conservation of
energy, it can never be created nor destroyed.
- SI unit is Joule (J)
Work
- mathematically defined as

where F is the force applied and s refers to the

displacement of the object when the force has
acted on it.

- SI unit for work is N.m which is just the Joule – this

means that work is a form of energy
Work
**Note that when there is a transfer of energy from
one system to another system, then there is work
done on the system.
Identify the forces that do work
*Negative work arises when the force applied is
opposite in direction to the displacement. For instance,
work done by friction force is always negative.
*Basically, the force hinders the movement!
A walking person A person pushing a box.
carrying gifts.

Energy is transferred to the

Energy is not transferred box in the form of energy
to the box thus there of motion thus there is
is no work done. work done.
Sample Problem
• How much work is
done by the girl
pulling her brother
shown in the figure, if
she travels 25 m?
F = 50 N

(Remember that the

30o
force should be in the
same direction as the
distance moved.)
Work with varying magnitude of force and direction
 
W =  F cos θ dl =  F  dl
In general, many cases the force varies in magnitude
and direction.
Work and Kinetic Energy
KINETIC ENERGY (KE)
- energy associated with the object’s motion.

Consider the movement of this ball:

Applying Newton’s second law F = ma and equation
of motion
 v22  v12 
Wtot = Fd = mad = m d

 2d 

1 2 1 2
W = mv 2  mv1
2 2

So that we can define KE as

Comparing the kinetic
energy K = 1/2 mv2
of different bodies.
 so work is W = KE2 – KE1

Wtot = ΔK

This is also known as the work-energy theorem

“the net work done on an object is equal to the change
in kinetic energy”
 Example
• 1. A farmer hitches her tractor to a sled loaded with
firewood and pulls it a distance of 20 m along level
ground. The total weight of sled and load is 14,700
N. The tractor exerts a constant 5000-N force at an
angle of 36.9° above the horizontal. A 3500-N
friction force opposes the sled’s motion. Find the
work done by each force acting on the sled and the
total work done by all the forces.

• 2. Let’s look again at the sled in the figure and our

results from (1). Suppose the sled’s initial speed v1
is 2.0 m/s. What is the speed of the sled after it
moves 20 m?
Conservative force
We call any force a conservative force if the work
done by the force on an object moving from one
point to another depends only on the initial and
final positions and is independent of the particular
path taken.
Let us calculate the work
done by the force in
moving the object from
y1 to y2.

This is a work done by the gravitational force.

Then W = Fd where d is a curve path.
 
 
W g = Fg  dl = mgcosθdl

Let  = 180  θ be the angle between dl and

Its vertical component dy.
Since cosθ = cos and dy = dlcos
 
 
W g = Fg  dl = mgcosθdl


W g =  mgdy Interval (y1 to y2)

W g = mg y 2  y 1 
The equation above shows that the work is
dependent only on the vertical height and not on
the path taken.
 Work on closed path

“a force is conservative if the net work done by

the force on an object moving around any closed
path is zero”
Potential Energy (U)
• Energy at rest

1. Gravitational potential energy (PE)

2. Elastic potential energy

 Gravitational Potential Energy

 Energy associated with

the object’s position
with respect to a
reference point.

 Potential energy is given

to an object if it is being
lifted to some height.
• Potential energy denoted by U or PE
Mass m raised to a height h.

Two types of work is associated

with this case.
Wext and Wg related to the forces
Fext and FG.

Wext = Fexth=mghcos0
= mgh = mg (y2-y1)

Wg = FGh=mghcos180
= -mgh = -mg (y2-y1)
Defining gravitational potential energy as

so it follows that the work done by the

gravitational force is:
 Elastic Potential Energy
 Energy associated in
stretching or compressing
a spring or steel coils.

 It is important to
remember that this energy
is present only when stress
is applied to the spring so
that it is compressed or
stretched into some
distance, x. If the stress is
removed, then the stored
elastic potential energy is
transformed into another
type of energy, usually
kinetic energy. k = force constant of the
spring
 Again we have two types of
work due to the forces Fs and Fp.
FP = kx and Fs = -kx. Wher k is the
spring constant and x is the length of
expansion or contraction.

Similarly the work done by the restoring force, Fs,

Δ U = U(x) – U(0) = -Wel = ½ kx2

U = ½ kx2

Δ U = -Wel
 Mechanical Energy (E)

- the energy that is possessed by an object due to its

motion or due to its position. It can either be kinetic
or potential energy.

- this is the energy acquired by the objects upon which

work is done.
 Conservation of Mechanical Energy

If only conservative forces are doing work, the total

mechanical energy of a system neither increaes nor
decreases in any process. It stays constant. It is
conserved if it stays constant.
 Power
• Power is simply the rate of change of work.
Power average
ΔW
Pav =
Δt
Instantaneous power
 ΔW  dW
P = lim  =
Δt  0  Δt  dt
Unit of power is watt (W)
1 W = 1J/s
In British system 1 hp = 550ft/lb.s = 746 W
 Sample Problem:

Calculate the power

generated by a 60 kg
person climbing a 2 m-
high flight of stairs in
7.0 sec.

Repeat the calculation for

the same person
running up the stairs in
2 sec.