Kinetic Energy and Work

ENG1081 Physics for Engineering

Conservation of Energy
Energy is what makes things Move
Can be Transferred Can Transform

But total amount is ALWAYS the same Energy Conservation Principle

Kinetic Energy
Kinetic Energy is the Energy belonging to an Object in Motion
If the Object is Static, then its Kinetic Energy = 0

Joule is the SI unit for all types of Energy, not just Kinetic Joule kg m2/s2
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When Kinetic Energy changes..

When we apply a Force to a moving Object, K will Change
We can Add to K (Transfer Energy to Object) Or we can Take Away some of it (Energy Transferred Out)

When a Transfer of Energy (using a Force) happens, this is WORK

Work
Formal definition:
Work, W is Energy Transferred to (or from) an Object via a Force acting on the Object

Positive WORK adds to K Negative WORK decreases K = .

= .
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Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem

From

We can also write this as

=

Post Kinetic Pre Kinetic Work done energy energy

Other Instances of Work

1. Due to Gravity Force, Fg = mg

= .
2. Due to Spring Force, Fx = -kx
Also known as Hookes Law SI for k is N/m

Work done by Spring Force

The Spring Force is a Variable Force, it changes according to x, Fx = - kx For a Variable Force we cannot use W = Fd cos It can be shown that for a Spring Force

Work done by a Variable Force

So far we have considered mostly cases where the Force is constant over Time, and over Distance. = . = .

Work done by a Variable Force

We have seen one example of a Variable Force, in the case of the spring, where Fx = -kx We can use the spring example to obtain the generalised expression for Work if the Force varies with x
What are the limits?

How does F vary with x?

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Power
Power is defined as: Work done over a Time rate =
Unit: Joule/s or Watt

= .

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