Work

To do work, one must have a source of energy. Long ago, people’s primary
source of energy for the work they did was food, for they worked with their muscles. The
Banaue Rice Terraces was built through human effort and ingenuity. Later, people
learned to harness the energy of animals to aid them in doing work. Machines were
invented to do numerous works easier and faster.
The word work has a variety of meanings. It means different things to different
people. You will learn in this module the concept of work in physics.

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. give the physics definition of doing work,

2. identify situations where work is done
3. calculate the work done in a given situation,
4. determine the work done by a force acting on a conservative system

TASK 1

Direction: Work or no work? Identify in the pictures below if work is done (in physics) by
writing WORK or NO WORK and use your notebook to write your answers. Give your
reasons.

1.
2.

3. 4.
5.

Task 2: Work or Not Work

Direction: Study and analyze the illustration below.

Questions:
1. Base on the above illustrations, when can you say that work is done in
physics?
2. What is work?

The word work has a variety of meanings. To some, mere application of

force is already considered as work. But in physics, work is done only when
a force is applied to a body and moves it. Mathematically, work is the
product of the force and the displacement resulting from application of force.
Force and displacement are vector quantities. However, work done has no
direction, only magnitude and is a scalar quantity. In symbols,
W = F.s
W = work done
F = force applied
s = displacement moved in the direction of the force
 If the force is in newton (N) and the displacement is in meter (m), work
is then measured in joules (J), its SI unit named in honor of English physicist
James Prescott Joule.
One joule (1J) of work is done when a force of 1 N moves through a
displacement of 1 m in the direction of the force.
1 J = 1 N.m = 1 kg.m2/s2
When CGS units are used, work is expressed in dyne-centimeters or
ergs.
1 erg = 1 [Link] = 1 g.cm2/s2

Work as a Scalar or Dot Product of Force and

Displacement

Work is a scalar quantity which is characterized only by a magnitude

and a sign.
The product of vector quantities can be a scalar quantity. This is called
dot or scalar product. One of these quantities is work.

θ
B
The dot product of A and B is defined in terms of magnitude of A and B
as A.B = AB cosθ
The magnitudes of A and B are always positive. But the dot product
may be positive, negative, or zero depending on the value of the angle θ.
If the angle between the force F and the displacement x is θ,
then
W = (F cosθ) s or W = Fs cos θ

The equation tells us that work is the component of the applied force
along the direction of the displacement. In the physical sense, this means
that for a force to qualify as having work on an object, there must be a
displacement and the force must cause the displacement.
For example consider the figure below. In figure a, the weightlifter is
getting ready to lift the barbell. At this point, he is not yet applying a force
on the barbell to lift it. Since there is no force yet, there is also no
displacement, and therefore, no work. In fig.b, the barbell is on its way up.
Work is done since the applied force and the displacement are both upward.
The angle between F and s is 0. In fig.c, the weightlifter pauses, holding the
barbell in the air. He applies a force F to support the weight of the barbell
but because the displacement is 0, work is zero. In fig.d, as the barbell goes
down, work is done by the force F. The angle between F and s is 0.
 Work is done by a force if that force is able to displace an object. In (a)
and (c), there is no work done (W=0) since the displacement s is zero. In (b),
work is positive since the force F and s are in the same direction. In (d), work
is negative—F and s are in opposite directions.

Sample Problems:
1. A person pulls an 80-kg crate 20 m across a level floor using a rope that is
300 above the horizontal. The person exerts a force of150 N on the rope.
How much work is done?

Given: F = 150 N
s = 20 m
θ = 300
Find: W
Solution:
W = Fscosθ
= 150 N (20 m)(cos300)
= 2, 598.08 Nm or J

2. A stevedore lifts a cargo of 10 kg from the floor to a truck 1.2 m high. How
much work is done by the stevedore?

Given: m = 10 kg
s = 1.2 m
θ = 00
Find: W
Solution:
W = Fscosθ (since weight is a force; and W=mg)
= mgscosθ
=10 kg (9.8 m/s2)(1.2 m)(cos00)
= 98 N (1.2 m)(cos00)
= 117.6 Nm 0r 117.6 J

3. A 250-N box was dragged along a level floor by a 250-N force at an angle
of
500 above the horizontal. The box moved 10.0 m at constant velocity.
Calculate the work done by the forces that acted on the box.

Given: W = 250 N (weight)

Fa = 250 N (applied force)
s = 10.0 m
θ = 500
Find: work done by each force acting on the box
 Solution:

What are the forces that acted on the box?

Based on the problem, we can tell that at least two forces were
present: the applied force Fa and the weight W of the box, or gravity.
In addition, the floor supported the weight of the box with a normal
force N. And since the box moved along at constant velocity, kinetic
friction, fk, must be present to balance the applied force.

The velocity was constant, so Fnet = 0. The components on both

the x- and y- axes are also zero.

For the y-axis,

∑Fy = 0
N + Fay + W = 0
N + Fasin500 – W = 0 (direction of weight is -)
N = W - Fasin500
= 250 N – (250 N)(sin500)
N = 58.5 N

For the x-axis,

∑Fx = 0
Fax + fk = 0
Facos500 – fk = 0 (fk is to the left)
fk = Facos500
= (250 N)(cos500)
fk = 161 N

We have the values for all the forces present. We can now compute the
work done by each force.
a. work done by applied force, WF
Fa

500

s
WF = Fscosθ
= Fascos500
= (250 N)(10.0 m)(cos500)
= 1 610 J
 b. work done by the normal force, WN
N

WN = Fscosθ
= Nscos900
= 58.5 N (10.0 m)(cos900)
=0

c. work done by weight or gravity, WW

s
W

WW = Fscosθ
= Wscos900
= (250 N)(10.0 m)(cos900)
=0

You see that both the normal force and gravity did no work on
the box. What does this mean? It means that whatever movement the box
made did not result from either the normal force or gravity. Work done is
zero whenever the force is perpendicular to the displacement, or
θ=900.

d. work one by friction, Wf

fk s
Wf = Fscosθ
= fkscos1800
= (161 N)(10.0 m)(cos1800)
= -1 610 J

When the force and the displacement are opposite each other, the
work done by that force is negative. This implies that the force is actually
making the object lose energy instead of adding to its energy. This is what
friction does: it dissipates an object’s energy.

 In physics, to do work on an object means to apply a force that will

make that object move. Work W is the product of force F and the
displacement s in the direction of force.

W = Fs cos θ
 Task 3. Solve the problems below. Round-off your final answer into two
decimal places.

1. How much work is done in lifting a 60.0 kg sack of rice to a vertical

distance of 10.0 m?
2. A boy pushes his wooden cart with a force of 25 N through a distance
of 12 m. What is the work done by the boy?
3. A crate is moved 2 m along a horizontal floor at a constant speed by a
force of 50 N which makes an angle of 30 0 above the horizontal. How
much work is done on the crate by the force?
4. A 500-N box initially at rest on the floor was pushed by a force
Fa = 200 N, moving the box a distance of 8.0 m at constant velocity.

s
fk Fa

a. What was the work done by each force that acted on the box?
(Show
your solution)

Force Work Done

Fa
W
N
fk

b. What was the total work done on the box?

Work, Power, and Energy

Work, power, and energy are three closely related concepts in physics. The
concept of work is important since it represents the amount of energy transformed from
one form to another. The amount of work done to change energy from one form to
another tells us how much energy has been converted to another form. The rate at
which energy us converted from one form to another is another important concept
because people now are so engrossed about doing everything fast and easy.
In this lesson, we will relate work, power, and energy.

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. relate the change in kinetic or potential energy of an object to the work done
on it;
2. explain Hooke’s law;
3. solve problems involving work-energy relationships;
4. identify conservative and non-conservative forces;
5. express the conservation of energy verbally and mathematically; and
6. solve problems involving work, energy, and power.

Task 1: Identify the type of energy possessed by the cart from point
A to E.

Work-Energy Relationship
A moving object can apply a force on another object and can,
therefore, do work. An object that can do work possesses mechanical
energy. There are two types of mechanical energy: kinetic energy and
potential energy.

Work and Kinetic Energy

 Kinetic energy is the energy of a moving body. A moving object does

work when it hits another object while stationary body cannot do work
on another stationary body.
 A non-moving object has zero kinetic energy.
 Kinetic energy, or KE, is related to speed. This means that for a moving
object to do more work, it should be moving faster.
 The formula for computing the kinetic energy of an object with mass m
and speed v is
1 2
KE= m v
2

Thus we can see that kinetic energy is directly proportional to the

square of the speed of an object. The unit of kinetic energy is joule (J), the
same unit for work.
 Now how we do relate the amount of work done on an object with its
kinetic energy?
Recall that Newton’s second law of motion relates the net force Fnet on
the object to mass m and acceleration a.
Fnet = ma
Multiplying both sides of the equation by displacement s, we get an
expression for the net work done on an object:
Fnets = mas
Wnet = mas
The product of displacement by net force, or Fnets, is the net work, Wnet.
Next, we focus on the right side of the equation. From the equations of
uniformly accelerated motion, we get an expression of a in terms of initial
velocity and final velocity, and s.
vf2 = vi2 + 2as
a = vf2 – vi2
2s
Plugging in the above equation for a, we get

( )
2 2
v f −v i
Wnet = m s
2s
1 1
Wnet = mvf2 - mv i2
2 2
Look closely at the equation. It tells us that the net work done on an
1
object is the difference between its final kinetic energy ( mv f2) and initial
2
1
kinetic energy ( mv i2). The above equation can therefore be rewritten as
2
Wnet = KEf - KEi
where KEf is the final kinetic energy and KEi, the initial kinetic energy.
Using the symbol Δ to mean “change or difference”, we can also write
the equation as
Wnet = ΔKE
The equation shows us clearly that the net work done on an object is
equal to the change in its kinetic energy.

Example:
1. What is the kinetic energy of a 2000-kg car that is traveling at
60.0 km/h?
2. How much work would be required to make it move at 100.0 km/h
instead?

Solution:
1. Given: m = 2 000 kg; v = 60.0 km/h
Convert v to m/s
v= ( h )(
60.0 km 1h
3600 s)(
1000 m
1 km )
=16.7 m/s

1 1
KE = mv2 = (2000 kg)(16.7 m/s)2 = 2.78 x 105 J
2 2

2. Given: vi = 16.7 m/s; vf = 100.0 km/h

vf¿( h )(
100.0 km 1h
3600 s)(1000 m
1 km )
=27.78 m/s

1 1
Wnet = mvf2 - mvi2
2 2
1 1
= (2000 kg)(27.78)2 - (2000 kg)(16.7)2
2 2
 = 7.72 x 105 J – 2.78 x 105 J
= 4.94 x 105 J
Thus the work required to make the car move at 100.0 km/h would be
4.94 x 105 J.

Work and Potential Energy

• Energy can be stored in an object by virtue of its position.

• Gravitational potential energy is the energy stored in an object as
the result of its vertical position or height. The energy is stored as the
result of the gravitational attraction of the Earth for the object.
• The gravitational potential energy of an object is dependent on two
variables - the mass of the object and the height to which it is raised.
• There is a direct relation between gravitational potential energy and
the mass of an object. More massive objects have greater gravitational
potential energy.
• There is also a direct relation between gravitational potential energy
and the height of an object. The higher that an object is elevated, the
greater the gravitational potential energy.
• Gravitational potential energy is defined mathematically as
GPE = weight x height where weight=mg
GPE = mgh

Does the gravitational potential energy of a body depend on the path

along which the body is moved?
 Going up a building in three ways: (a) taking the stairs; (b) taking the
elevator; and (c) ascending a rope. In all three, the work done against gravity
is the same for the same person because the weight of the person is the
same and the height climbed is the same. Thus, the gravitational potential
energy change is the same.

The change in gravitational potential energy ΔGPE is equal to the

amount of work Wnet each man does against gravity.

Wnet = ΔGPE
• Work is done to lift an object against gravity. This work is equal to the
positive change in the GPE of the object.
• Work is done by gravity when an object falls. This work is equal to the
negative change in the GPE of the object.

Example:
A 40.0-kg girl is jumping on a trampoline 1.00 m high. How much
gravitational potential energy does she have when she is 2.00 m above
the ground? Compute her potential energy relative to the trampoline.

Given: m = 40.0 kg
Solution:
The girl’s potential energy depends on the choice of
reference
level. Using the trampoline as the reference level, her height h is

h = 2.00 m – htrampoline = 2.00 m – 1.00 m = 1.00 m

GPE = mgh = (40.0 kg)(9.8 m/s2)(1.00 m) = 392 J

Elastic Potential Energy

• Elastic potential energy is the energy stored in elastic materials as

the result of their stretching or compressing.
• Elastic potential energy can be stored in rubber bands, bungee cords,
trampolines, springs, an arrow drawn into a bow, etc.
• The amount of elastic potential energy stored in such a device is
related to the amount of stretch of the device - the more stretch, the
more stored energy.
 •When the spring is deformed – either to a length longer or shorter than
lo – it acquires elastic potential energy.
• When the spring is unstretched – or it is equal to lo – it has zero EPE.
• To store EPE on the spring, work must be done.
• The deformation of a spring is proportional to the magnitude of the
distorting force: a weak force can pull a certain spring only so much
while a greater force can cause bigger deformation.
• The relationship between distorting force and deformation was
discovered by Robert Hooke, an English scientist. Hence, this
relationship is called Hooke’s law.
• According to Hooke’s law, the change in length x of a spring is directly
proportional to the applied force F that causes the deformation.
F ∞ x or F = kx
• The work done by or on a spring is the product of the force and the
change in length:
We = Fx
1
ΔEPE = We = k x 2
2
Sample Problems:

1. The force constant of the Achilles tendon is about 10 000 N/m. How
much force does the Achilles tendon of a walking person sustain,
assuming that the tendon undergoes a change in length of 6.00 mm?
Given: k = 10 000 N/m
x = 6.00 mm = 6.00 x 10-3 m
Find: F
Solution
F = kx
= (10 000 N/m)(6.00 x 10-3 m)
= 10.0 N
2. a. How much energy is stored in a spring of force constant 1 200 N/m if it
is
stretched by 0.25 m?
b. If this energy is absorbed by a 200-g mass, what will be its velocity
when
it is released by the spring?
a. Given: k = 1 200 N/m; x = 0.25 m
Find: EPE
Solution:
1
EPE = kx2
2
1
= (1 200 N/m)(0.25 m)2
2
= 37.5 J
b. When the spring released the object, its EPE is converted to KE
1
ΔEPE=KE= mv2
2
 v=
√ 2 EPE
m

√
2
m
(2)(37.5 kg . )
= s
2

0.200 kg
= 19.36 m/s

Conservative and Non-conservative Forces

Two mountain climbers of the

same weight, both 500 N, climbed a
mountain using different paths.
Climber 1 took a circuitous path in
climbing the mountain towards the
peak while Climber 2 took a
straight path. If the height of the
peak is 1 km, what is the work done
by each climber?

Conservative Forces

• If the work done by a force in moving an object is independent of the

path taken to do the work, then the force is said to be a conservative
force.
• An example of a conservative force is gravitational force. Other
conservative forces are elastic force of a spring and electric force
between two electric charges.

• This kind of path which begins and ends at the same point is called a
closed path.
• During the entire trip, the amount of positive work done on the object
is equal to the negative work on the return trip.
• So the net work done on the object is zero. Therefore, the work due to
gravity is zero for a closed path.
• A conservative force is one that does no net work on an object
moving in a closed path, and starts and finishes at the same
point.

Non-conservative Forces
 • A force is non-conservative if the work it does in moving objects
depends on the path of the motion of an object.
• One example of non-conservative forces is the kinetic frictional force
which points opposite to the direction of the sliding motion. It is also
doing negative work.
• This work is equal to the product of the kinetic frictional force and the
length of the path taken, so over longer paths, greater amount of work
is done.
• Other examples of non-conservative forces are static friction, air
resistance, tension, normal force, and thrust force of a rocket.

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

• When work is done by an external force on an object, the object

undergoes a change in its mechanical energy.
Wtotal = ΔME = ΔKE + ΔGPE + ΔEPE
• When the forces acting on an object are conservative, the change in its
mechanical energy is zero.
ΔME = ΔKE + ΔGPE + ΔEPE = 0
• When the only forces acting on an object are conservative, the total
mechanical energy of any object is constant.
• When work is done on an object, the object gains energy; when
work is done by the object, the object loses energy.
• When a body loses a certain amount of energy, another body gains this
energy.
• If a body’s kinetic energy is lost, this energy has been converted to
potential energy or some other form of energy.

Example: The pendulum bob has a mass of 100.0 g. As the

pendulum swings back and forth, its highest is 10.0
cm higher than its lowest position.
a. Identify the points
1. where the GPE is maximum and minimum; and
2. where the KE is maximum and minimum
b. Calculate the values of the maximum
KE and GPE of the pendulum bob.
c. Calculate the maximum speed of the
pendulum bob.
C
A

Solution
We let the lowest position of the bob, position B, our reference level.
Given: m = 100.0 g; hB = 0; hA=hC = 10.0 cm

a. 1. The GPE is maximum at the highest point, A or C, and is minimum at

the
lowest point, B (GPE = 0)
 2. The KE depends on the speed of the pendulum bob. In swinging from A
to
C, the pendulum is momentarily at rest at point A and gains speed on
the
way down to point B. As the pendulum bob swings from point B to point
C, it slows down and stops at point C. Therefore, the KE of the
pendulum
bob is minimum at points A and C (KE A=KEC=0) and maximum at point
B.

b. The maximum GPE, is the GPE at A or C

GPEmax = GPEA = GPEC = mgh
= (0.100 kg)(9.8 m/s2)(0.10 m)
= 0.098 J

The maximum KE is the KE at B. Since according to the law of

conservation of energy, the sum of KE and PE is constant then, for positions
A and B,

KEA + GPEA = KEB + GPEB

Since KEA = 0, GPEB = 0, and GPEA = 0.098 J, then
KEA + GPEA = KEB + GPEB
0 + 0.098 J = KEB + 0
KEB = 0.098 J
Thus KEmax is 0.098 J.

c. The maximum speed of the pendulum bob is the speed

at B. Since,
1
KEB = mv2
2

Then

vmax = vB =
√ 2 KE
m
= √ 2 ¿¿ ¿ = 1.4 m/s

The maximum speed of the pendulum bob is 1.4 m/s.

 Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. The amount of kinetic energy

KE of an object with mass m and speed v is

1
KE = mv2
2
 The net work done on an object is equal to the change in the kinetic
energy.
Wnet = ΔKE

 Gravitational potential energy is the energy possessed by an

object due to its height. The gravitational potential energy GPE of an
 object is the product of the magnitude of its weight mg and its height
h.
GPE = mgh

 The amount of work done on an object is equal to the change in its

gravitational potential.
Wg = ΔGPE

 Elastic potential energy is the energy associated with deforming an

elastic body.
 Hooke’s law states that the product of change in length x of a spring
and its force constant k is equal to the applied force F that caused its
deformation.
F = kx
 The work done by or on a spring is equal to its change in elastic
potential energy.
1
ΔEPE = We = kx2
2
 A conservative force is one that does no work on an object moving in
a closed path, and starts and finishes at the same point.
 For a close path, the total amount of work done by a non-conservative
force is not equal to zero.
 The principle of conservation of mechanical energy states that
the total mechanical energy (MET = KE + PE) of an object remains
constant as the object moves, provided that the net work done by the
non-conservative force is zero.

Task 2. Solve the problems below. Round-off your final answer into two decimal
places.

1. A water skier whose mass is 70 kg has an initial speed of 6 m/s. Later,

the speed of the skier becomes 11 m/s. Determine the work done by
the net force acting on the skier.
2. A pile of books of mass 50 kg is placed on top of a cabinet 3 m high.
What is the gravitational potential energy of the pile of books?
3. The firing mechanism of a spring gun uses a spring whose force
constant is 32.0 N/cm. A 50.0-g ball pushes the spring back by 10.0-cm
before being released.
a. What is the work done on the spring?
b. With what speed does the ball leave the spring
gun?