MUNTINLUPA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL - MAIN (SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL - STEM)

GEN. PHYSICS-1 WEEK 7

WORK–ENERGY THEOREM, KINETIC (KE) & POTENTIAL
(GPE & EPE) ENERGIES, CONSERVATIVE FORCES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing this self-learning module, you (learner) are expected to...
❏ Define work as a scalar or dot product of force and displacement; [STEM_GP12WE-
1f-42]
❏ Interpret the work done by a force in one–dimension as an area under a ‘Force vs
Position curve’; [STEM_GP12WE-1f-43]
❏ Relate the gravitational potential energy of a system or object to the configuration
of the system; [STEM_GP12WE-1g-48]
❏ Relate the elastic potential energy of a system or object to the configuration of the
system; [STEM_GP12WE-1g-49]
❏ Explain the properties and the effects of conservative forces. [STEM_GP12WE-1g-50]

PRE-TEST (For items #1 through #10, choose the correct letter of your answer.)1
1) Two forces 𝑭 ⃗ and 𝑭 ⃗ are acting on the shown in the drawing,
causing the box to move across the floor. The two force vectors are
drawn to scale. Which one of the following statements is correct?
a) 𝑭 ⃗ does more work than 𝑭 ⃗ does.
b) 𝑭 ⃗ does more work than 𝑭 ⃗ does.
c) Both forces do the same amount of work.
d) Neither force does any work.

2) A box is being moved with a velocity 𝒗⃗ by a force 𝑷⃗ (in the same direction as 𝒗⃗ ) along a level
horizontal floor. The normal force is 𝑭𝑵⃗, the kinetic frictional force is 𝒇𝒌⃗ , and the weight is 𝑚𝒈⃗.
Which one of the following statements is correct?
a) 𝑷⃗ does positive work, 𝑭𝑵⃗ and 𝒇𝒌⃗ do zero work, and 𝑚𝒈⃗ does negative work.
b) 𝑭𝑵⃗ does positive work, 𝑷⃗ and 𝒇𝒌⃗ do zero work, and 𝑚𝒈⃗ does negative work.
c) 𝒇𝒌⃗ does positive work, 𝑭𝑵⃗ and 𝑚𝒈⃗ do zero work, and 𝑷⃗ does negative work.
d) 𝑷⃗ does positive work, 𝑭𝑵⃗ and 𝑚𝒈⃗ do zero work, and 𝒇𝒌⃗ does negative work.
3) A suitcase is hanging straight down from your hand as you ride an escalator. Your hand exerts a
force on the suitcase, and this force does work. This work is…
a) positive when you ride up and negative when you ride down.
b) negative when you ride up and positive when you ride down.
c) positive when you ride up or down.
d) negative when you ride up or down.
4) A force does positive work on a particle that has a displacement pointing in the +𝑥 direction. This
same force does negative work on a particle that has a displacement pointing in the +𝑦 direction.
In which quadrant of the x, y coordinate system does the force lie?
a) First (b) Second (c) Third (d) Fourth
5) In which one of the following situations is zero net work done?
a) A ball rolls down an inclined plane.
b) A physics student stretches a spring.

1
“Physics, 9th Ed., Cutnell & Johnson”
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c) A projectile falls toward the surface of the Earth.
d) A box is pulled across a rough floor at constant velocity.
6) Which one of the following is an example of an object with a non–zero kinetic energy?
a) a drum of diesel fuel on a parked truck (c) a satellite in geosynchronous orbit
b) a stationary pendulum (d) a car parked at the top of a hill
7) Which one of the following statements concerning kinetic energy is true?
a) It can be measured in watts. (c) It is always positive.
b) It is always equal to the potential energy. (d) It is directly proportional to velocity.
8) In which one of the following systems is there a decrease in gravitational potential energy?
a) a girl jumps down from a bed. (c) a boy stretches a horizontal spring.
b) a crate rests at the bottom of an inclined plane. (d) a car ascends a steep hill.
9) Two balls of equal size are dropped from the same height from the roof of a building. One ball has
twice the mass of the other. When the balls reach the ground, how do the kinetic energies of the
two balls compare?
a) The lighter one has one fourth as much kinetic energy as the other does.
b) The lighter one has one half as much kinetic energy as the other does.
c) The lighter one has the same kinetic energy as the other does.
d) The lighter one has twice as much kinetic energy as the other does.
10) A rock is thrown straight up from the surface of the Earth. Which one of the following statements
describes the energy transformation of the rock as it rises? (Neglect air resistance.)
a) The total energy of the rock increases.
b) The kinetic energy increases and the potential energy decreases.
c) Both the potential energy and the total energy of the rock increase.
d) The kinetic energy decreases and the potential energy increases.

KEY WORDS
work–energy theorem gravitational force elastic potential energy
kinetic energy gravitational potential energy conservative force

Most people expect that if you do work, you get something as a result. In physics,
when a net force performs work on an object, there is always a result from the effort. The
result is a change in the kinetic energy of the object. As we will now see, the relationship that
relates work to the change in kinetic energy is known as the work–energy theorem. This
theorem is obtained by bringing together three basic concepts that we’ve already learned
about. First, we’ll apply Newton’s second law of motion, Σ𝑭 = 𝑚𝒂, which relates the net force
Σ𝑭 to the acceleration 𝒂 of an object. Then, we’ll determine the work done by the net force
when the object moves through a certain distance. Finally, we’ll use Equation 2.9, one of the
equations of kinematics, to relate the distance and acceleration to the initial and final
speeds of the object. The result of this approach will be the work–energy theorem.
To gain some insight into the idea of kinetic energy and the work–energy theorem,
look at Figure 6.5, where a constant net external force Σ𝑭 acts on an airplane of mass 𝑚. This
net force is the vector sum of all external forces acting on the plane, and for simplicity, it is
assumed to have the same direction as the displacement 𝒔⃗. According to Newton’s second
law, the net force produces an
acceleration 𝒂, given by 𝒂 = Σ𝑭⁄𝑚.

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Consequently, the speed of the plane changes from an initial value of 𝒗 to a final value of
𝒗 * Multiplying both sides of Σ𝑭 = 𝑚𝒂 by the distance 𝑠 gives

The left side of this equation is the work done by the net external force. The term 𝑎𝑠 on the
right side can be related to 𝒗 and 𝒗 by using 𝒗 = 𝒗 + 2𝑎𝑠 (Equation 2.9) from the
equations of kinematics. Solving this equation gives
𝑎𝑠 = 𝒗 −𝒗
Substituting this result into (Σ𝑭)𝑠 = 𝑚𝒂𝑠 shows that

This expression is the work–energy theorem. Its left side is the work W done by the net external
force, whereas its right side involves the difference between two terms, each of which has
the form ½ (mass)(speed)2. The quantity ½ (mass)(speed)2 is called kinetic energy (KE) and
plays a significant role in physics, as we will see in this chapter and later on in other chapters
as well.

The SI unit of kinetic energy is the same as the unit of work, the joule. Kinetic energy,
like work, is a scalar quantity. These are not surprising observations, because work and kinetic
energy are closely related, as is clear from the following statement of the work–energy
theorem.

The work–energy theorem may be derived for any direction of the force relative to
the displacement, not just the situation in Figure 6.5. In fact, the force may even vary from
point to point along a path that is curved rather than straight, and the theorem remains valid.
According to the work–energy theorem, a moving object has kinetic energy, because work
was done to accelerate the object from rest to a speed 𝑣 .* Conversely, an object with
kinetic energy can perform work, if it is allowed to push or pull on another object. Example 4
illustrates the work–energy theorem and considers a single force that does work to change
the kinetic energy of a space probe.

The space probe Deep Space I was launched October 24, 1998, and it used a type of engine
called an ion propulsion drive. An ion propulsion drive generates only a weak force (or thrust),
but can do so for long periods of time using only small amounts of fuel. Suppose the probe,
which has a mass of 474 kg, is traveling at an initial speed of 275 m/s. No forces act on it

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except the 5.60 × 10 𝑁 thrust of its engine. This external force 𝑭⃗ is directed parallel to the
displacement 𝒔⃗, which has a magnitude of 2.42 × 10 𝑚 (see Figure 6.6). Determine the final
speed of the probe, assuming
that its mass remains nearly
constant.

Reasoning If we can determine the final kinetic energy of the space probe, we can
determine its final speed, since kinetic energy is related to mass and speed according to
Equation 6.2 and the mass of the probe is known. We will use the work–energy theorem
𝑊 = 𝐾𝐸 − 𝐾𝐸 , along with the definition of work, to find the final kinetic energy.

In example 4 only the force of the engine does work. If several forces act on an object, they
must be added together vectorially to give the net force. The work done by the net force
can then be related to the change in the object’s kinetic energy by using the work–energy
theorem.
Example 5 emphasizes that the work–energy theorem deals with the work done by the
net external force. The work–energy theorem does not apply to the work done by an
individual force, unless that force happens to be the only one present, in which case it is the
net force. If the work done by the net force is positive, as in Example 5, the kinetic energy of
the object increases. If the work done is negative, the kinetic energy decreases. If the work
done is zero, the kinetic energy remains the same.

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A 58–kg skier is coasting down a 25° slope, as in Figure 6.7a shows. Near the top of the slope,
her speed is 3.6 m/s. She accelerates down the slope because of the gravitational force,
even though a kinetic frictional force of magnitude 71 N opposes her motion. Ignoring air
resistance, determine the speed at a point that is displaced 57 m downhill.

Reasoning The skier’s

speed at a point 57 m
downhill (her final
speed) depends on
her final kinetic
energy. According to
the work–energy
theorem, her final
kinetic energy is
related to her initial
kinetic energy (which we can calculate directly) and the work done by the net external
force that acts on her. The work can be evaluated directly from its definition.

WORK DONE by a GENERAL VARIABLE FORCE2

 One–dimensional force, graphical analysis:
 Divide the area under the curve of 𝐹(𝑥) into a number of narrow strips of width 𝑥.

2
“https://www.physics.smu.edu/rguarino/1303fall2011/Lectures/Chapter 07.pdf”
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 Choose 𝑥 small enough to permit

us to take the force 𝐹(𝑥) as being
constant over that interval.
 Let 𝐹 , be the average value of
𝐹(𝑥) within the jth interval (Fig. b).
 The work done by the force in the
jth interval is approximately …
∆𝑊 = 𝐹 , ∆𝑥 ⇒ 𝑊 = ΣΔ𝑊 = Σ𝐹 , Δ𝑥

 𝑊 is then equal to the area of the

jth rectangular, shaded strip (Fig. b).
 One–dimensional force, calculus analysis:
 We can make the approximation
better by reducing the strip width Δ𝑥
and using more strips (Fig. c).
 In the limit, the strip width
approaches zero, the number of
strips then becomes infinitely large
and we have, as an exact result.
 Geometrically, the work is the area
under the ‘Force vs. Position curve’.

Δ𝑊 = lim 𝐹, Δ𝑥 = 𝐹(𝑥)𝑑𝑥
→

 Integration (anti–derivative)
 The definite integral is the result of the limiting process in which the area is divided
into several regions.
 Work, as the integral of the force 𝐹 over position 𝑥 is written:

𝑊= 𝐹(𝑥)𝑑𝑥

The gravitational force is a well–known force that can

do positive or negative work, and Figure 6.10 helps to
show how the work can be determined. This drawing
depicts a basketball of mass 𝑚 moving vertically
downward, the force of gravity 𝑚𝒈⃗ being the only force
acting on the ball. The initial height of the ball is ℎ , and
the final height is ℎ , both distances measured from the
earth’s surface. The displacement 𝒔⃗ is downward and
has a magnitude of 𝑠 = ℎ − ℎ . To calculate the work
𝑊 done on the ball by the force of gravity, we use
𝑊 = (𝐹 cos 𝜃)𝑠 with 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑔 and 𝜃 = 0°, since the force
and displacement are in the same direction:
𝑊 = (𝑚𝑔 cos 0°) ℎ − ℎ = 𝑚𝑔 ℎ − ℎ (6.4)

Equation 6.4 is valid for any path taken between the

initial and final heights, and not just for the straight–down path shown in Figure 6.10. For
example, the same expression can be derived for both paths in Figure 6.11. Thus, only the
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difference in vertical distances ℎ −ℎ need be
considered when calculating the work done by gravity.
Since the difference in the vertical distances is the same
for each case. We are assuming here that the
difference in heights is small compared to the radius of
the earth, so that the magnitude g of the acceleration
due to gravity is the same at every height. Moreover, for
position close to the earth’s surface, we can use the
value of 𝑔 = 9.80 𝑚/𝑠 .
Only the difference ℎ − ℎ appears in Equation
6.4, so ℎ and ℎ themselves need not be measured
from the earth. For instance, they could be measured
relative to a level that is one meter above the ground,
and ℎ − ℎ would still have the same value. Example 7
illustrates how the work done by gravity is used with the
work–energy theorem.

A gymnast springs vertically upward from a trampoline as in Figure 6.12a. The gymnast leaves
the trampoline at a height of 1.20 m and reaches a maximum height of 4.80 m before falling
back down. All heights are measured with respect to the ground. Ignoring air resistance,
determine the initial speed 𝑣 with which the gymnast leaves the trampoline.

Reasoning We can
find the initial speed of
the gymnast (mass=𝑚)
by using the work–
energy theorem,
provided the work
done by the net
external force can be
determined. Since
only the gravitational
force acts on the gymnast in the air, it is the net force, and we can evaluate the work by
using the relation 𝑊 = 𝑚𝑔 ℎ − ℎ .

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An object in motion has kinetic energy. There

are also other types of energy. For example, an
object may possess energy by virtue of its position
relative to the earth and is said to have gravitational
potential energy. A pile driver, for instance, is used to
pound “piles,” or structural support beams, into the
ground. The device contains a massive hammer that
is raised to a height ℎ and dropped (see Figure 6.13),
so the hammer has the potential to do the work of
driving the pile into the ground. The greater the
height ℎ, the greater is the potential for doing work,
and the greater is the potential energy.
Now, let’s obtain an expression for the
gravitational potential energy. Our starting point is
Equation 6.4 for the work done by the gravitational force as an object moves from an initial
height ℎ to a final height ℎ :
This shows that the work done
by the gravitational force is
equal to the difference
between the initial and final values of the quantity 𝑚𝑔ℎ. The value of 𝑚𝑔ℎ is larger when the
height is larger and smaller when the height is smaller. We identify the quantity 𝑚𝑔ℎ as the
gravitational potential energy. The concept of potential energy is associated only with a type
of force known as a “conservative” force.

Gravitational potential energy, like work and kinetic energy, is a scalar quantity and
has the same SI units as they do–the joule. It is the difference between two potential energies
that is related by Equation 6.4 to the work done by the force of gravity. Therefore, the zero
level for the heights can be taken anywhere, as long as both ℎ and ℎ are measured relative
to the same zero level. The gravitational potential energy depends on both the object and
the earth (𝑚 and 𝑔, respectively), as well as the height ℎ. Therefore, the gravitational
potential energy belongs to the object and the earth as a system, although one often speaks
of the object alone as possessing the gravitational potential energy.

The gravitational force has an interesting property that when an object is moved from
one place to another, the work done by the gravitational force does not depend on the
choice of path. In Figure 6.11, for instance, an object moves from an initial height ℎ to a final
height ℎ along two different paths. As Section 6.3 discusses, the work done by gravity
depends only on the initial and final heights, and not on the path between these heights. For
this reason, the gravitational force is called a conservative force, according to version 1 of
the following definition:

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Figure 6.14 helps us to

illustrate version 2 of the
definition of a
conservative force. The
picture shows a roller
coaster car racing
through dips and double
dips, ultimately returning
to its starting point. This
kind of path, which begins and ends at the same place, is called a closed path. Gravity
provides the only force that does work on the car, assuming that there is no friction or air
resistance. Of course, the track exerts a normal force, but this force is always directed
perpendicular to the motion and does no work. On the downward parts of the trip, the
gravitational force does positive work, increasing the car’s kinetic energy. Over the entire
trip, the gravitational force does as much positive work as negative work, so the net work is
zero, and the car returns to its starting point with the same
kinetic energy it had at the start. Therefore, consistent with
version 2 of the definition of a conservative force, 𝑊 =
0 𝐽 for a closed path.
The gravitational force is our first example of a
conservative force. Later, we will encounter others, such as
the elastic force of a spring and the electrical force of
electrically charged particles. With each conservative force
we will associate a potential energy, as we have done in the
gravitational case (see Equation 6.5). For other conservative
forces, however, the algebraic form of the potential energy
will differ from that in Equation 6.5.

We saw in Section 6.3 that an object above the

surface of the earth has gravitational potential energy.
Therefore, when the object is allowed to fall, like the
hammer of the pile driver in Figure 6.13, it can do work. A
spring also has potential energy when the spring is
stretched or compressed, which we refer to as elastic
potential energy. Because of elastic potential energy, a
stretched or compressed spring can do work on an object
that is attached to a spring. The physics of a door–closing unit. For
instance, Figure 10.15 shows a door – closing unit that is
often found on screen doors. When the door is opened, a
spring inside the unit is compressed and has elastic

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potential energy. When the door is released, the compressed spring expands and does the
work of closing the door.
To find an expression for the elastic potential energy,
we will determine the work done by the spring force on an
object. Figure 10.16 shows an object attached to one end
of a stretched spring. When the object is released, the
spring contracts and pulls the object from its initial position
𝑥 to its final position 𝑥 . The work 𝑊 done by a constant
force is given by Equation 6.1 as 𝑊 = (𝐹 cos 𝜃)𝑠 where 𝐹 is
he magnitude of the force, 𝑠 is the magnitude of the
displacement 𝑠 = 𝑥 − 𝑥 , and 𝜃 is the angle between the force and the displacement. The
magnitude of the spring force is not constant, however. Equation 10.2 gives the spring force
as 𝐹 = −𝑘𝑥, and as the spring contracts, the magnitude of this force changes from 𝑘𝑥 to
𝑘𝑥 . In using Equation 6.1 to determine the work, we can account for the changing
magnitude by using an average magnitude 𝐹 in place of the constant magnitude 𝐹 .
Because the dependence of the spring force on 𝑥 is linear, the magnitude of the average
force is just one – half the sum of the initial and final values, or 𝐹 = 𝑘𝑥 + 𝑘𝑥 . The work
𝑊 done by the average spring force is, then,

In the calculation shown,

𝜃 = 0°, since the spring
force has the same
direction as the
displacement. Equation 10.12 indicates that the work done by the spring force is equal to
the difference between the initial and final values of the quantity 𝑘𝑥 . The quantity 𝑘𝑥 is
analogous to the quantity 𝑚𝑔ℎ, which we identified in Section 6.3 as the gravitational
potential energy. Here, the quantity 𝑘𝑥 is the elastic potential energy. Equation 10.13
indicates that the elastic potential energy is a maximum for a fully stretched or compressed
spring and zero for a spring that is neither stretched nor compressed (𝑥 = 0 𝑚).

PRACTICE EXERCISES (Show your table of data, complete solution, & answer,
following the rules of significant digits, for each of the problems below.)
1. A fighter jet is launched from an aircraft carrier with the aid of its own engines and a
steam – powered catapult. The thrust of its engines is 2.3 × 10 𝑁. In being launched from
rest it moves through a distance of 87 𝑚 and has a kinetic energy of 4.5 × 10 𝐽 at lift–off.
What is the work done on the jet by the catapult? Hint→
2. It takes 185 𝑘𝐽 of work to accelerate a car from 23.0 𝑚⁄𝑠 to 28.0 𝑚⁄𝑠. What is the car’s
mass? (Hint: 𝑘𝐽 is kilo-joule; Equation 6.3→ 𝑊 = 𝐾𝐸 − 𝐾𝐸 = 𝑚𝑣 − 𝑚𝑣 )

3. The hammer throw is a track–and–field event in which a 7.3 𝑘𝑔 ball (the “hammer”),
starting from rest, is whirled around in a circle several times and released. It then moves

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upward on the familiar curving path of projectile motion. In one throw, the hammer is
given a speed of 29 𝑚⁄𝑠. For comparison, a .22 caliber bullet has a mass of 2. 6 𝑔 and,
starting from rest, exits the barrel of a gun at a speed of 410 𝑚⁄𝑠. Determine the work
done to launch the motion of (a) the hammer and (b) the bullet. (Hint: Equation 6.3)
4. Consult Example 5 for insight into solving this problem. A skier slides horizontally along the
snow for a distance of 21𝑚 before coming to rest. The coefficient of kinetic friction
between the skier and the snow is 𝜇 = 0.050. Initially, how fast was the skier going?
5. A 75.0 𝑘𝑔 skier rides a 2830 m long lift to the top of a mountain. The lift makes an angle of
14.6° with the horizontal. What is the change in the skier’s gravitational potential energy?
(Equation 6.5 Δ𝑃𝐸 = 𝑚𝑔ℎ where ℎ is the vertical distance)
6. Juggles and Bangles are clowns. Juggles stands on one end of a teeter–totter at rest on
the ground. Bangles jumps off a platform 2.5 m above and lands on the other end of the
teeter–totter, launching Juggles into the air. Juggles rises to a height of 3.3 m above the
ground, at which point he has the same amount of gravitational potential energy as
Bangles had before he jumped, assuming both potential energies are measured using
the ground as the reference level. Bangles’ mass is 86 kg. What is Juggles’ mass?
7. A 35–kg girl is bouncing on a trampoline. During a certain interval after she leaves the
surface of the trampoline, her kinetic energy decreases to 210 J from 440 J. How high does
she rise during this interval? Neglect air resistance. (Hint: Because air resistance is negligible,
all of the kinetic energy she loses is transformed into potential energy, so that her total mechanical
energy remains constant. 𝐸 = 𝐾𝐸 + 𝑃𝐸)

8. A pen contains a spring with a spring constant of 250 N/m. When the tip of the pen is in
its retracted position, the spring is compressed 5.0 mm from its unstrained length. In order
to push the tip out and lock it into its writing position, the spring must be compressed an
additional 6.0 mm. How much work is done by the spring force to ready the pen for
writing? Be sure to include the proper algebraic sign with your answer.
9. A 3.2–kg block is hanging stationary from the end of a vertical spring that is attached to
the ceiling. The elastic potential energy of this spring–block system is 1.8 J. What is the
elastic potential energy of the system when the 3.2–kg block is replaced by a 5.0–kg
block?
10. In preparation for shooting a ball in a pinball machine, a spring (k = 675 N/m) is
compressed by 0.0650 m relative to its unstrained length. The ball (m = 0.0585 kg) is at rest
against the spring at point A. When the spring is released, the ball slides (without rolling).
It leaves the spring and arrives at point B, which is 0.300 m higher than point A. Ignore
friction, and find the ball’s speed at point B. (Hint: The forces applied to the ball by the spring
and by gravity are conservative. Friction is nonconservative, but it is being ignored. The normal
force exerted on the ball by the surface on which it slides is also conservative, but it acts
perpendicular to the ball’s motion and does no work on the ball. Therefore, mechanical energy is
conserved.)
********************************************************************************************************
**End of Week #7 Module proceed to Week #8 Module**

**(Unless otherwise noted, all information herein this module is from Physics, 9th Ed., Cutnell & Johnson)

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