Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
General Physics A1
Week 4: Work – Mechanical Energy
Contents
❑ Scalar Product
❑ Work
❑ Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Theorem
❑ Power
❑ Gravitational Potential Energy
❑ Elastic (Spring) Potential Energy
❑ Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
❑ Conservation of Energy
Scalar Product of Two Vectors
The scalar product of two vectors is written as
It is also called the dot product
θ is the angle between A and B
Scalar Product is a Scalar
Nota vector
May be positive, negative, or zero
Contents
❑ Scalar Product
❑ Work
❑ Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Theorem
❑ Power
❑ Gravitational Potential Energy
❑ Elastic (Spring) Potential Energy
❑ Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
❑ Conservation of Energy
Definition of Work W
The work, W, done by a constant force on an object is
defined as the scalar (dot) product of the component of
the force along the direction of displacement and the
magnitude of the displacement
is the magnitude of the force
∆ is the the object’s displacement
Φ is the angle between and ∆
SI Unit
N•m=J
J = ( kg • m / s2 ) • m
Work: Positive or Negative
Work can be positive, negative, or zero. The sign
of the work depends on the direction of the force
relative to the displacement
Work positive: if 0°< < 90°
Work negative: if 90°< <180°
Work zero: W = 0 if = 90°
Work maximum if = 0°
Work minimum if = 180°
Contents
❑ Scalar Product
❑ Work
❑ Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Theorem
❑ Power
❑ Gravitational Potential Energy
❑ Elastic (Spring) Potential Energy
❑ Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
❑ Conservation of Energy
Special Case: Constant Acceleration
Work with Varying Forces
On a graph of force as a function
of position, the total work done
by the force is represented by the
area under the curve between
the initial and the final position
Note there could be negative work!
Straight-line motion
W Fax xa Fbx xb ......
x2
W Fx dx
x1
Motion along a curve
P2 P2 P2
W F cos dl F|| dl F dl
P1 P1 P1
Work-Energy with Varying Forces
Work-energy theorem Wtot = K holds for varying
forces as well as for constant ones
dv x dv x dx dv x
ax vx
dt dx dt dx
x2 x2 x2 dv x
Wtot Fx dx ma x dx mv x dx
x1 x1 x1 dx
v2
Wtot mvx dv x
v1
1 2 1 2
Wtot mv2 mv1 K
2 2
Spring Force: a Varying Force
Involves the spring constant, k
Hooke’s Law gives the force
=
Where is the force exerted on the spring in the
same direction of x
The force exerted by the spring is = − = −
k depends on how the spring is made of. Unit: N/m.
Work Done on a Spring
To stretch a spring, we
must do work
We apply equal and
opposite forces to the
ends of the spring and
gradually increase the
forces
The work we must do to
stretch the spring from
x1 to x2
x2 x2 1 2 1 2
W Fx dx kxdx kx2 kx1
x1 x1 2 2
Contents
❑ Scalar Product
❑ Work
❑ Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Theorem
❑ Power
❑ Gravitational Potential Energy
❑ Elastic (Spring) Potential Energy
❑ Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
❑ Conservation of Energy
Power
Work does not depend on time interval
The rate at which energy is transferred is important
in the design and use of practical device
The time rate of energy transfer is called power
The average power is given by
when the method of energy transfer is work
Instaneous Power
Power is the time rate of energy transfer. Power is
valid for any means of energy transfer
Other expression
A more general definition of instantaneous power
Units of Power
The SI unit of power is called the watt
1 watt = 1 joule / second = 1 kg . m2 / s3
A unit of power in the US Customary system
is horsepower
1 hp = 550 ft . lb/s = 746 W
Unitsof power can also be used to express
units of work or energy
1 kWh = (1000 W)(3600 s) = 3.6 x106 J
Contents
❑ Scalar Product
❑ Work
❑ Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Theorem
❑ Power
❑ Gravitational Potential Energy
❑ Elastic (Spring) Potential Energy
❑ Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
❑ Conservation of Energy
Work Done by Gravity and
Gravitational Potential Energy
Wgrav Fs w y1 y2 mgy1 mgy2
Wgrav U grav,1 U grav,2 U grav,2 U grav,1 U grav
Potential Energy
Potential energy is associated with
the position of the object
Gravitational Potential Energy is the
energy associated with the relative
position of an object in space near
the Earth’s surface
Shared by both the object and Earth
The gravitational potential energy
m is the mass of an object
g is the acceleration of gravity
y is the vertical position of the mass relative the surface
of the Earth
SI unit: joule (J)
Recall: Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem
When work is done by a net force on an object and
the only change in the object is its speed, the work
done is equal to the change in the object’s kinetic
energy
Speed will increase if work is positive
Speed will decrease if work is negative
Wtot K2 K1 K
1 1
tot = 2 −
2
Extended Work-Energy Theorem with
Gravitational Potential Energy
The work-kinetic energy theorem can be extended
to include gravitational potential energy:
Wtot K2 K1 K
Wgrav U grav,1 U grav,2 U grav,2 U grav,1 U grav
If we only have gravitational force and all work
done by all rest forces are zero, then
=
K1 U grav,1 K2 U grav,2
(If only gravity does work)
Conservation of Mechanical Energy
We denote the total mechanical energy by
Since K1 U grav,1 K2 U grav,2
So
The total mechanical energy is conserved and
remains the same at all times
1 2 1 2
2 m 1 mgy1 2 m 2 mgy2
(If only gravity does work)
Exercise: Skateboarding
A boy skateboards from rest down a curved
frictionless ramp. He moves through a quarter-circle
with radius R=3m. The boy and his skateboard have
a total mass of 25 kg.
Find his speed at the bottom of the ramp
Exercise: Skateboarding
Find his speed at the bottom of the ramp
K1 0 U grav ,1 mgR 1 2 1 2
mv1 mgy1 mv2 mgy2
K 2 12 mv22 U grav, 2 0 2 2
1 2 v2 2 gR 7.67 m / s
0 mgR mv2 0
2
Problem-Solving Strategy
Define the system
Select the location of zero gravitational potential
energy
Do not change this location while solving the problem
Identify two points the object of interest moves
between
One point should be where information is given
The other point should be where you want to find out
something
Prof. Water Lewin’s Pendulum
When Forces other than Gravity Do Work
The work-kinetic energy theorem can be
extended to include potential energy:
Wtot K2 K1 K
Wtot Wgrav Wother K 2 K1
Since Wgrav U grav,1 U grav,2 U grav,2 U grav,1 U grav
Then
Wother U grav,1 U grav,2 K 2 K1
If forces other than gravity do work
K1 U grav,1 Wother K 2 U grav,2
1 2 1 2
mv1 mgy1 Wother mv2 mgy2
2 2
Contents
❑ Scalar Product
❑ Work
❑ Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Theorem
❑ Power
❑ Gravitational Potential Energy
❑ Elastic (Spring) Potential Energy
❑ Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
❑ Conservation of Energy
Spring Force: An Elastic Force
Hooke’s Law gives the force
Fx kx
Where Fx is the force exerted on the
spring in the same direction of x
Work done on the spring from x1 to x2
x2 x2 1 2 1 2
W Fx dx kxdx kx2 kx1
x1 x1 2 2
The force exerted by the spring is
Fs Fx kx
Potential Energy in a Spring
Work done by the spring
x2 x2 1 2 1 2
Ws x1
Fs dx x1
kxdx kx1 kx2
2 2
Elastic Potential Energy:
SI unit: Joule (J)
related to the work required to compress a spring from its
equilibrium position to some final, arbitrary, position
Extended Work-Energy Theorem with
Elastic Potential Energy
The work-kinetic energy theorem can be extended to
include elastic potential energy:
Wtot K2 K1 K
1 2 1 2
Wel 2 kx
1 2 kx2 U el,1 U el,2 U el
If we only have spring force and all work done by
all rest forces are zero, then =
K1 U el,1 K2 U el,2
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 (If only the elastic
2
m 1 2
kx 1 2
mv2 2
kx2 force does work)
Mechanical Energy Conservation with BOTH
Gravitational and Elastic Potential Energy
❑ We denote the total mechanical energy:
E K U K U grav Uel
❑ Since E2 E1
❑ The total mechanical energy is conserved:
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
mv1 mgy1 kx1 mv2 mgy2 kx2
2 2 2 2
Exercise: A Block Projected up an Incline
A 0.5-kg block rests on a horizontal, frictionless
surface. The block is pressed back against a
spring having a constant of k = 625 N/m,
compressing the spring by 10.0 cm to point A.
Then the block is released.
(a) Find the maximum distance d the block
travels up the frictionless incline if θ = 30°.
(b) How fast is the block going when halfway to
its maximum height?
Exercise: A Block Projected up an Incline
Point A (initial state):
Point C (final state):
Exercise: A Block Projected up an Incline
Point A (initial state):
Point B (final state):
Contents
❑ Scalar Product
❑ Work
❑ Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Theorem
❑ Power
❑ Gravitational Potential Energy
❑ Elastic (Spring) Potential Energy
❑ Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
❑ Conservation of Energy
Conservation of Energy in General
Any work done by conservative forces can be
accounted for by changes in potential energy
= − =− − = −∆
Law of conservation of energy
Energy is never created or destroyed. It only
changes form.
Prolem-Solving Strategy
Define the system to see if it includes non-conservative
forces (especially friction, drag force …)
Without non-conservative forces
With non-conservative forces
Select the location of zero potential energy
Do not change this location while solving the problem
Identify two points the object of interest moves between
One point should be where information is given
The other point should be where you want to find out
something
Roller Coaster Design