RMIT University

MANU2228_17s2-Engineering
Science

Lab 4 – Work and Energy

Student Name: Le Trung Kim – s3634824

Lecture: Ilya Kavalchuk

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Table of Contents
AIM OF THE LAB..........................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
PREDICTION QUESTION...............................................................................................................................4
DATA............................................................................................................................................................5
DATA TABLE.............................................................................................................................................7
CALCULATIONS........................................................................................................................................7
QUESTIONS..............................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................10
Risk Assesment..........................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCE................................................................................................................................................13

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AIM OF THE LAB
The relationship of work done to the change in energy is going to be determined
through comparing the work done on a cart to the change in kinetic energy of the
cart.

INTRODUCTION
Energy exists in every activity in our life. Energy have many different forms
such as mechanical, chemical, electromagnetic, nuclear, and so on[1]. In this lab
activity, we are going to focus on mechanical energy – kinetic energy and work
done to achieve the aim of this lab.
Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because of its motion[2]. Kinetic
energy is connected to all types of movement of the object, it is directly
proportional to the mass m of the object[1]:
1
KE= m v 2
2

Work is the measure of energy transfer that occurs when an object is moved
over a distance by an external force[3]. Work done is calculated by the function[1]:
W =Fd

By calculating the percent difference between the work done and the final
kinetic energy, we will be able to determine the relationship between work done to
the change in energy[4]:

|W −KE
%diff =
W |
× 100 %

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PREDICTION QUESTION
1. As work is done to accelerate a cart, what will happen to its kinetic energy?
Discuss all possible situation?

The cart’s kinetic energy will be changed. In this case, as work is done to
accelerate the cart horizontally, its velocity will be increased until the cart is
stopped. Kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of velocity[1], so the
cart’s kinetic energy is increasing:
1
KE= m v 2
2
2. How would the work done on the cart compare to its final kinetic energy?
Why?

In theory, the work done on the cart should be the same as its final kinetic
energy. Because the work changes only the cart’s speed, the cart’s kinetic energy,
KE, changes as shown in the following equation where W is the work, vf is the final
speed of the object and vi is the initial speed of the object:
1 1
W =∆ KE=KE f −KE i= m v f 2− m v i2
2 2
The cart is stayed still in the begin, so the initial velocity is 0m/s so the initial
kinetic energy is 0J. Which means that the work done equals to the final kinetic
energy:
W =KE f

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DATA

Run 4
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
Velocity (m/s)

0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Time (s)

Velocity versus Time Graph

The graph describes the velocity of the cart over time from the moment
where the cart starts to move until it reaches the highest velocity before it stops in
run 4. The graph has the shape of a straight-line which shows the increase of the
cart’s speed over time when a force is acting on it. The final velocity of the cart
before it is stopped at 1.5s after begins to move is 0.8m/s. In this run, the total mass
of the system is 1.04kg. So, the kinetic energy of the cart in run 4 is:
1
KE= ×1.04 ×0.82=0.33 J
2

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 Run 4
-0.39
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

Force (N)
-0.4

-0.41
Position (m)

Force versus Position Graph

The graph describes the force acting on the cart over the change in its
position from the moment when the cart starts to move until it is stopped in run 4.
The graph has the shape of a straight-line horizontally which shows that the force
acting on the cart from 0.21m – 0.94m away from the motion sensor is constant at
0.4N. The graph shows that the direction of the force that is pulling the force
sensor so the value is negative, this is also applied to other run. The work done in
run 4 is:
W =0.4 × 0.73=0.3 J

So, the percent different in run 4 is:

%diff =|0.3−0.33
0.3 |
×100 %=10 %

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DATA TABLE
Item Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4
Mass of system, total (kg) 0.69 0.99 0.74 1.04
Velocity, maximum (m/s) 0.56 0.57 0.99 0.88
Work done (J) 0.11 0.15 0.33 0.3
Kinetic energy, final (J) 0.11 0.16 0.36 0.33
Percent difference (%) 0 6.67 9.09 10
CALCULATIONS
Work done:
Run1:
W =0.2× 0.55=0.11J
Run2:
W =0.2× 0.73=0.15 J
Run3:
W =0.4 × 0.82=0.33 J
Run4:
W =0.3 J
Final Kinetic Energy:
Run1:
1
KE= × 0.69× 0.562=0.11 J
2

Run2:
KE=0.16 J
Run3:
KE=0.36 J
Run4:
KE=0.33 J
Percent different:
Run1:
|0.11−0.11
%diff =
0.11 |
× 100 %=0 %

Run2:
%diff =6.67 %
Run3:
%diff =9.09 %
Run4:
%diff =10 %

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QUESTIONS

1. What happens to the kinetic energy as work is done on the system? Discuss
using graphs and numerical values.

Run 4
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
Velocity (m/s)

0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Time (s)

As we mentioned in predict question, the kinetic energy is increased when work is

done on the system in this case. Work done is directly proportional to force act on
the cart and the change in position of the cart:
W =Fd
Also, Newton’s second law tells us that F net=ma[2], so we have:
W =mad
In previous lab about kinematics, we know that we can substitute the acceleration
if we know the final velocity and initial velocity of the cart:
v f 2−v i2 1 2 1 2
W =m d= m v f − mv i
2d 2 2
W =∆ KE=KE f −KE i
We also know that the initial velocity vi of the cart in all run is 0m/s so the initial
kinetic energy is 0J. So, the work done equals to the final kinetic energy of the cart.
The work done in all run is positive so the kinetic energy of the cart is increased in
all run. For example:
Run 4:
W =0.3 J
1 1
KE i= m v i2= ×1.04 × 02=0 J
2 2
KE f =0.33 J

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2. How does the kinetic energy compare to the work done? What is the
difference? Why does the difference is presented?

As we mentioned in the predict question, the kinetic energy should be the same
as the work done. But the data shows us that there are differences between work
done and kinetic energy and the difference’s range varies from 0% - 10%. The
kinetic energy is usually higher than the work done. For example:
Run 2:
W =0.15 J
KE=0.16 J
%diff =6.67 %
Run 4:
W =0.3 J
KE=0.33 J
%diff =10 %

During the motion, energy has transferred from the system to environment
under the forms of heat, sound, and so on – Conservation of Energy law[1].
This explains the difference between kinetic energy and work done.

3. The kinetic energy is measured in joules and the work done is measured in
newton•meters (N m). What is the relationship between a joule and a
newton•meters? Show detailed transformation.

Joule (J) is equal to the work done by a force of one newton acting through one
meter (N m)[5]. So, the two units are identical. Transformation:

Kg ∙m2
J=
s2
Where:
m
=a (m is distance measure in meter)
s2
F=ma∨Kg ∙ a (m is mass measure in kg)
So, we have:
J=Fm∨N ∙ m (m is distance measure in meter, F is force measure in N)

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 4. Do your results support your predictions? If no, what is the reason? Give
numerical answers.

Our results do support our predictions where the work done on the cart
change its kinetic energy (kinetic energy is increased as work done
increase). For example:
Run 1:
W =0.11 J → KE=0.11 J
Run 2:
W =0.15 J → KE=0.16 J
Run 3:
W =0.33 J → KE=0.36 J

Although the work done is not exactly the same as kinetic energy that was
explained in the previous question about Conservation of Energy law[1]. For
example:
Run 2:
%diff =6.67 %
Run 3:
%diff =9.09 %

CONCLUSION
As presented in our experimental result, there is a relationship between work
done to the change in energy. Even though, there are differences between work
done and kinetic energy, but this percent different support our knowledge about the
Conservation of Energy law. Therefore, we concluded that if the work done to an
object is changed, then its kinetic energy will also change:

1 1
W =∆ KE=KE f −KE i= m v f 2− m v i2
2 2

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 Task Name: Lab activity 4: Work and
Risk Energy
Assesment
Assessor(s) Le Trung Kim 10/8/2017
:
Those at People in lab
risk:
Risk: Moderate
Process/Job Working in
Description: the lab
Task Hazards Controls Already In Place Action (Hierarchy of
Control)
Sparklink Air Electric Special manual handling equipment PPE
shock Protective casing Engineering
Wear closed toe shoes and focus on
performing

Spark Electric Special manual handling equipment PPE

Element shock Protective casing Engineering
Wear closed toe shoes and focus on
performing

PASPORT Sharp Edge Manual handling PPE

Motion Manual Wear closed toe shoes and focus on Engineering
Sensor Handling performing
Easy to be
broken

PASPORT Sharp Edge Manual handling PPE

Force Sensor Manual Wear closed toe shoes and focus on Engineering
Handling performing
Easy to be
broken

1.2 m PASCO Sharp edge Manual handling PPE

Track Manual Engineering
Handling

GOcar Manual Manual handling PPE

Handling Pay close attention Engineering
Easy to be
broken

Hooked Mass Sharp edge Manual handling PPE

Set Manual Pay close attention Engineering
Handling
Heavy object
Run Sharp edge Manual handling PPE
Experiment Manual Pay close attention Engineering
Handling

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Equipment Sharp edge Manual handling PPE
Setup Manual Wear closed toe shoes and focus on Engineering
Handling performing
Electric
shock

Action (Hierarchy of Control): Elimination, Substitution, Isolation, Engineering, Administration,

Personal Protective Equipment

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REFERENCE
[1] I. Kavalchuk, "Work and Energy," 2017.
[2] "What is kinetic energy?", Khan Academy, 2017. [Online]. Available:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/work-and-energy/work-and-
energy-tutorial/a/what-is-kinetic-energy
[3] "Work - Physics", Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017. [Online]. Available:
https://www.britannica.com/science/work-physics
[4] I. Kavalchuk, "Lab 4 Work and Energy," 2017.
[5] "Joule-UNIT OF ENERGY MEASUREMENT", Encyclopedia Britannica,
2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.britannica.com/science/joule

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