LFORCE, WORK, ENERGY AND POWER
1. Force
Force is a push or a pull.
The SI unit of a force is Newton.
A force acts on a particular direction and may have any of the following
effects on an object:
Make a stationary object start moving or increase the speed of a
moving object.
Slow or stop a moving object.
Change direction of a moving object.
Distort(change shape of) a moving object.
Force is therefore that which changes a body’s state of motion or shape.
Some forces are large while others are small therefore forces have
magnitude.
Types of forces
Gravitational force
Tensional force
Frictional force
Magnetic force
Centripetal force
Cohesive and adhesive force
Surface Tension
Molecular force
Electric force
Nuclear force
Electrostatic force
Gravitational force
This is the force of attraction between two bodies of given masses. (m1
and m2)
When objects are thrown up from or near the earths surface they always
fall downward towards the ground.
This is because of the force of attraction which the earth exerts on any
body near its surface.
Tension force.
This is the pull or compression of a string at both its ends called tension.
Some materials can withstand greater tension than others e.g steel can
withstand greater tension than nylon.
Upthrust force.
Refers to the upward force acting on an object immersed in water .
Example
A body weighs 100N in air and 80N when submerged in water.
Calculate the upthrust acting on the body.
Solution
Weight in air =100N
Weight in water= 80N
Upthrust = Weight in air – Weight in water.
100N-80N = 20 N
Cohesive and Adhesive Force.
Cohesive force refers to the attraction between molecules of same kind
e.g water molecule and another water molecule.
Adhesive force refers to the force of attraction between molecules of
different kind e.g glass molecule and water molecule.
Friction Force.
Refers to the force that oppose relative motion between surfaces in
contact e.g walking, Braking, etc.
Magnetic Force
This is the force that causes attraction or repulsion by a magnet.
Materials that can be attracted by magnets are called magnetic materials
while those that cannot be attracted by a magnet are called non-
magnetic materials.
Electrostatic force
Rubbing materials on certain surfaces eg ruler on human hair creates
static charges.
The force of attraction or repulsion due to those charges is called
electrostatic force.
Centripetal force
Refers to the force that contrains a body to move in a circular path e.g
orbit. Another example is Merry go round.
Surface Tension
Refers to the force that causes the surface of water to behave like a fully
stretched, thin elastic skin.
Action and Reaction.
When one force acts on a body, an equal and opposite force (reaction)
acts on the body.
Relationship between mass and weight.
Mass refers to the quantity of matter present in an object while weight
refers to the measure of pull of gravity on an object .
The SI unit of weight is Newton(N).
Example
The weight of an object whose mass is 50 kg is given by,
W = mg
50×10 = 500N.
NOTE:
The earth pulls each kg of mass with a force about 9.8N which is
approximately 10N/kg.
WORK
Work is the energy transfar that occurs when a force causes an object to
move a certain distance, in the direction of the force.
Therefore, work done W= Force × distance moved, d, in the
direction of applied force.
That is, W= F × d
Because force is measured isn Newton and distance metres, the derived
unit for work is the Newton- metre (Nm).
The S I unit of work is the Joule(J).
One joule is the work done when a force of 1 metre in the direction of the
force.
Therefore, 1J = 1N
Other units for measuring work are kilojoule (KJ) and Megajoule(MJ).
1KJ = 1000 J
1MJ = 1000 000 J
Example 1
Calculate the work done when a body of mass 20kg is carried over
a vertical distance of 4.0 m.
Solution.
Work done = force × distance
=mass of body,m × acceleration due to gravity, g ×vertical
distance, d.
=20kg× 10N/kg × 4.0m
=800 Nm = 800 J.
Example 2
How much work is done in lifting a 7kg object through a distance
of 2m and holding it at a distance of 2 m and holding it at that
height for 10 seconds?
Solution
To lift an object or hold it in the air, one must exert an upward
force equal to its weight.
Force = Weight of the object.
But weight = mass × acceleration due to gravity.
7kg × 10N/kg = 70N.
Therefore, one must exert an upward force of 70N on the object.
Work done in lifting the object through a distance of 2 m is given
by;
W=F×d
But F = 70 N and d = 2 m.
Thus, W = 70N × 2 m = 140 J.
To hold the object for 10 s,
F = 70 N and d = 0.
W=F×d
70 N and d = 0 m = 0 J.
Therefore, 140 J of work was required to lift the object through a
distance of 2 m, but no additional work was required to hold the
object at that height for 10 s.
ENERGY.
Energy is the capacity to do work. When work is dine on an object, the
object gains energy. When work is done by an object , the object loses
energy.
The SI unit of energy is the Joule (J).
Sources of Energy.
Energy exists in various forms, and only useful when converted from one
form to another. There are several forms of energy.
a) Chemical energy: This is energy stored in substances such as fuel,
food, oxygen and chemicals in batteries. Chemical energy is
released during reactions such as burning of fuels or the respiration
process.
b) Electrical energy: This is a form of energy which is carried by
electric currents. Electrical energy can be converted 8nto other
forms of energy such as heat and light energy.
c) Heat energy: This is the energy that flows from one place to
another as a result of difference in temperature.
d) Light energy: Light is a form of energy which is emitted by
luminous objects such as the sun. Light energy travels as waves in
straight lines from its source.
e) Nuclear energy: This is the energy released by nuclear fission or
nuclear fusion. When small atoms are fused together, there is small
loss of mass which is released as energy( nuclear fusion). Atoms
heavier than iron have added mass and will release energy if they
break down( nuclear fission).
f) Wave energy: This is energy possessed by moving waves. It can
be used to drive a generator to produce electricity.
g) Solar energy: This is energy from the sun, mainly in the form of
light and radiation.
h) Mechanical energy: Is the sum of the kinetic energy and
gravitational potential energy of an object. Kinetic and potential
forms of energy are discussed below.
Kinetic energy
Refers to the energy possessed by an object or particle because it is
moving.
The kinetic energy of an object depends on its mass and its velocity .
The greater the mass of an object and/ or the greater its velocity, the
greater its kinetic energy.
This relationship can be expressed in the equation:
Kinetic energy, K.E = ½ × mass, m × (Velocity, v)^2
K.E = ½ mv^2.
The SI unit of kinetic energy is the Joule (J)
Example 1
An object has a mass of 5kg. What is its kinetic energy if its speed is:
a) 5 m/s.
b) 10 m/s
Solutions.
a) K.E = ½ mv^2
= ½ × 5kg × (5m/s)^2
=62.5 J
b) K.E = 1/2mv^2
½ ×5kg × (10 m/s)^2
=250 J.
Example 2
What is the kinetic energy of a 120 g bullet traveling at 320
m/s.
Solution
K.E = ½ mv^2
= ½ × 0.12 kg × (320m/s)^2
= 6144 J.
Example 3
A person of mass 70 kg running at a speed of 10m/s. What
is the kinetic energy of the person?
Solution.
Kinetic energy = ½ mv^2
= ½ × 70 kg × (10m/s)^2
= 3500 J.
Potential Energy.
Refers to the energy stored in an object due to its position.
The higher the object is, the greater the potential energy.
This relationship can be expressed as:
Potential energy, P.E = mass, m × gravitational acceleration,
g × height, h.
That is, P.E = mgh.
An object can have potential energy if it is acted upon by a force
that tends to restore it to its initial position after it is displaced.
A rock held above the ground, for example, has gravitational force
that pulls back towards the ground.
Like kinetic energy, G.P.E is measured in joules.
Unlike kinetic energy, G.P.E can be positive or a negative depending
on the location of the reference level.
Example 1
A stone of mass 2 kg falls from a height of 25 m above the
ground. Calculate the P.E possed by the stone.
Solution.
P.E = mgh
= 2 kg × 10 N/ kg × 25 m
= 500 J.
Example 2
A particle of mass 0.2 kg rests on a table 1.5 m above the
floor level in a room. Determine the potential energy of the
particle.
Solution
Potential Energy, P. E. = mgh
= 0.2 kg ×10N/kg × 1.5 m
= 3.0 J.