Dr.

Alejandro Paredes
Teaching plan
Work and conservation of energy
Work and energy
We can calculate the work done when a force
moves using this equation :
Note that although force and displacement are
vectors, work is a scalar quantity.

In this case you need to resolve the force to find the

component acting in the direction of the displacement :
The vertical component 𝐹𝐶𝑜𝑠(𝜃2 ) does no work, because there is no movement in the vertical direction.

Energy (scalar) is defined as the ability to do work.

Doing work involves a transfer of energy from one form to another. When
you use your muscles to move an object, some of the stored energy in your
body is transferred to kinetic (movement) energy. The amount of work
done tells you how much energy has been transferred from one form to
another:
Work and conservation of energy

Consider the force needed to stretch a spring. The greater the force,
the more the spring is extended from its unstretched length. The
figure shows how the force needed to stretch a spring changes with
the extension of the spring. The force needed is proportional to the
extension of the spring. This is known as Hooke's law.

The figure is a graph of force against distance. in this case the

distance the spring is extended. The area under the line represents
the work done to stretch the spring.
Work and conservation of energy
Power
If two cars of the same weight drive up the same hill, they do the same amount of work. But what if one car is more
powerful than the other? Although the total energy transferred in reaching the top is the same for both cars, the more
powerful car will get there faster. Power is a measure of how fast work is done, or energy is transferred:

If the work rate is not steady, these equations give the average
power. The unit of power is the watt, W.

Combining the equations for power and work done

gives us another equation for calculating power:
Work and conservation of energy
Work and conservation of energy
Types of energy
How many different types of energy can you think of? Heat energy, light energy, chemical energy, kinetic energy,
sound energy and electrical energy are just some of the labels you may have come across. In fact there are only two
basic types of energy : kinetic energy and potential energy.

Kinetic energy (KE or Ek): Kinetic energy is the energy

an object has because of its motion. We can calculate the
kinetic energy an object has, using this equation:
Work and conservation of energy
Potential energy (PE or EP) : 'Potential' means 'stored'. Potential energy is the energy stored in an object due
to its position, state or shape. In mechanics we are usually concerned with gravitational potential energy
(GPE). This is the energy gained by an object when it is lifted up against the force of gravity. We can calculate
the amount of gravitational potential energy that an object gains, using this equation:

Notice that this equation gives you the change in potential

energy, not an absolute value. You can choose to take potential
energy to be zero at any convenient point, usually ground level.
Work and conservation of energy
Work and conservation of energy
Interchange between KE and PE
• At the top of the track the cars have their maximum gravitational
potential energy.
• A motor is needed to lift the cars up, but from then on they can
freewheel along the track. The stored potential energy is transferred to
kinetic energy.
• When the cars as they climb up again, the KE is transferred back to
PE.
• There is a continual interchange between PE and KE during the ride.

If there is no friction, how far would the cars travel along the track
before they first stop moving?
When the cars stop, they has no KE. All the energy must have been
transferred back to PE. As this must be the same PE it started with, the
cars would roll until they reach a point on the track which has the same
height as the release height.
Work and conservation of energy
Work and conservation of energy
Conservation of energy
what happens to the kinetic energy when a car crashes?
The kinetic energy is transferred to the surroundings, which become warmer. We
say that the energy is dissipated. In a car crash there is a sudden transfer that
causes heating of the crumpled metal and the surrounding air :
The surroundings are often said to gain 'heat energy’.

The correct term for this is internal energy. Internal energy is the name given
to the total KE and PE of all the atoms or molecules of a substance. The main
point here is that the energy does not just disappear. Energy cannot be used up. It
is always transferred to other, often less obvious, forms. The principle of
conservation of energy is one of the most fundamental rules in Physics :
Work and conservation of energy
Always remember to include any work done or energy transferred to internal energy in overcoming
frictional forces. Friction is the most likely reason for apparent energy 'loss' from a system.
Work and conservation of energy
Efficiency
A machine is any device that transfers energy from one form to
another. Cars, electric motors and our bodies are all examples of
machines. Unfortunately, when energy is transferred, not all of it is
transferred in a useful way. So what happens to the rest of the
transferred energy? Usually some energy is 'wasted' as internal (heat)
energy. The proportion of energy that is usefully transferred is called
the efficiency of the machine :
Work and conservation of energy
Exercises
A cyclist is travelling along a level road at 8. 0 m s-1. Her legs provide a
forward force of 150 N. How much work does she do in 10 s ?

A car with a 54 kW engine has a top speed of 30 m s-1 on a horizontal road.

Calculate:
a) the force driving the car forward at the top speed,
b) the resistance to the car's motion at this speed. (Hint: When moving at its top
speed, the car has zero acceleration.)

A lift and passengers weigh 15 000 N. Ignoring friction, what is the power of
the motor needed to move the lift up at a steady speed of 3.0ms-1?

A cyclist of mass 100 kg is freewheeling down a hill inclined at 10° to the horizontal.
He keeps his brakes on so that he travels at a steady speed of 6.0 m s-1. The brakes provide the only
force opposing the motion. Draw a diagram showing the forces acting on the cyclist. Calculate :
a) the component of his weight acting down the hill,
b) the braking force,
c) the work done by the brakes in 3 s.
Exercises
A pump lifts 200 kg of water per minute through a vertical height of 15 m. Calculate the
output power. Calculate the input power rating of the pump if it is :
a) 100% efficient, b) 65% efficient.

A tennis ball of mass 60 g is dropped from a height of 1.5 m. It rebounds but loses 25% of its
kinetic energy in the bounce. Ignoring any air resistance, calculate:
a) the velocity at which the ball hits the ground,
b) the velocity at which it leaves the ground,
c) the height reached on the rebound.

A 10 kg child slides down a 3.0 m long slide inclined at 30° to the horizontal. A friction force of
35 N acts along the slide. Calculate:
a) the potential energy lost in reaching the bottom,
b) the work done against friction on the slide,
c) the child's kinetic energy at the bottom of the slide,
d) the child's velocity at the bottom of the slide.
Exercises
A spring with a spring constant “k” of 200 N m -1 is stretched by 0.1 m.
How much work is done in stretching the spring?
A)0.02 J
B)1.0 J
C)20 J
D)0.1 J
Note: the force to stretch a spring is 𝐹 = 𝑘Δ𝐿 where k is the
spring constant and Δ𝐿 is the spring deformation

A child sitting on a sledge (total mass 33.6 kg) is held at position

A, the top of an icy slope. The sledge is released and moves
down the slope with motion that can be considered frictionless.
Position B is the lowest point of the slope.
a)Determine the maximum kinetic energy of the child and sledge.
b)Determine the velocity of the child and sledge at point C
Exercises
A train runs on a horizontal track with a power of 1.0 MW when travelling at a
constant speed of 50 m s-1. The net resistive forces acting on the train are:
A)200 N
B)200 kN
C)20kN
D)50 MN

A car exerts a driving force of 600 N when travelling at a constant speed of 65 m s -1. Calculate
the work done by the force in 5 minutes.

(a)195 kJ
(b)195 J
(c)11.7 mJ
(d)11.7 MJ
Exercises
A machine lifts an object of weight 2.5 x 103N to a height of 20 m. The machine has an overall
efficiency of 25%. The work done in raising the object is:
(a)50 kJ
(b)12.5 kJ
(c)200 kJ
(d)50 J

A power plant produces 600 MW of power with an efficiency of 30%. How much energy is
wasted every second?
A)2000 MJ
B)1400 J
C)180 MJ
D)420 MJ
Exercises
b)Suppose a car (1000kg) climbs a hill at a constant speed of 10.0 ms -1for the
same driving force. The car ascends at a rate of 0.5m for every 6m as shown.
i. State the forces that act on the car. Sketch the diagram and show how
these forces act on the car.
ii. Determine the engine’s power.
iii. Determine resistive force acting on the car.