Chapter 4

Work, Energy and

Power
4.1 Work
Work done by a
constant force
1. The work done by a constant force F when the
displacement of its point of application in d is given
by the scalar product of F and d.

W = F d

Unit: Newton-meter (Nm) = joule, J

A force F pushes a box through a displacement d.
In this case, where the force and displacement
are in the same direction, the work done by the force
is
W = Fd
2. The greater the force, the greater
the work.
The greater the distance, the greater
the work.
3. The work W is zero if the distance d
is zero.
For example if you push against a solid
wall you do no work on it, even though
you may become tired from your efforts.
Force at angle to
the displacement


s
1. If the force does not act in the direction in
which motion occurs but an angle θ to it , then
the work done is defined as
The product of the component of the force in
the direction of motion and the displacement
in that direction
2. Definition of work when the angle between the
force and displacement is θ

W = (F cos θ) d = F d cos θ
A person pulls a suitcase with a strap at an angle θ to the
direction of motion. The component of force in the direction of
the motion is F cos θ and the work done by the person is

W = ( F cosθ) d
3. When θ = 0º , the force F is in the
direction of the displacement , d

Work done, W = F d
2. If θ = 90º ,

Work done, W = F d cos 90º = 0

2. When an object moves with uniform velocity v on a
smooth horizontal surface, no work is done by the
weight W of the object and the normal reaction
R.
3. This is because both W and R are perpendicular to
the direction of the displacement
Negative work
and Total work
1. The work done by a force may be positive
or negative.
2. Work depends on the angle between the
force F , and the displacement d (or
direction of motion).
3. This dependence gives rise to three distinct
possibilities :
a) Work is positive if the force has a component in
the direction of motion (θ < 90º). This occurs
when θ is acute ( tirus )
b) Work is zero if the force has no
component in the direction of motion (θ
= 90º) or the force is at right angles
to the displacement.
c) Work is negative if the force has a
component opposite to the direction of
motion (θ > 90º). This occurs when θ is
obtuse (cakah).
 A car of mass m coasts
down a hill inclined at an
angle Ф below the
horizontal. The car is acted
on by three forces:

(i) the normal force N

exerted by the road,

(ii) a force due to air

resistance, Fair, and

(iii) the force of gravity,

mg.
4. For example, a force F being used to stop
a moving object.
If the displacement of the object is d
before it stops, then the work done by
the force F is W =F d cosθ which is
negative.
 The normal force is perpendicular to the motion of the car, and thus
does no work.
 Air resistance points in a direction that opposes the motion, so it
does negative work.
 Gravity has a component ( mg sinθ) in the direction of motion.
Therefore, its work is positive.
 The work done by gravity on a freely falling
apple moving downward is positive, and its
speed increases.
 In contrast, gravity does negative work on a
freely falling apple moving upward, and in this
case its speed decreases.
5. Thus, whenever we calculate work we
must be careful about its sign , and not
just assume it to be positive.
6. The distinction (perbezaan) is important
since positive work increases speed,
whereas negative work decreases speed.
Zero work has no effect on speed.
7. When more than one force acts on an
object, the total work is the sum of the
work done by each force separately.
8. Thus , if force F1 does work W1 , force
F2 does work W2 , and so on , the total
work is

Wtotal  W1  W2  W3  .........  Wi

9. Equivalently , the total work can be calculated
by first performing a vector sum of all the
forces acting on an object to obtain Ftotal and
then using the basic definition of work

Wtotal   Ftotal cos   d  Ftotal d cos 

Where θ is the angle between F and the displacement d

total
 Example
A 4.1 kg box of books is lifted vertically from rest a distance of 1.6
m by an upward applied force of 60.0 N. Find
a) the work done by the applied force,
b) the work done by gravity, and
c) the final speed of the box.
 Example 1
Force F of magnitude 10 N and friction force F1 of magnitude 3.0
N act on an object, which lies on a horizontal rough surface. If
the object is displaced 2.0 m , determine
a) The work done by force F , [ +17.3 J ]
b) The work done by F1 , [ -6.0 J ]
c) The work done by the weight of the object , [ 0 J ]
d) The work done by the normal reaction acting on the object , [ 0
J]
e) The total work done by all the external forces [ + 11.3 J]
 Example 2
 An object of mass 2.0 kg is placed on a horizontal
plane. Force F of magnitude 10 N acts on the
object, as shown in figure below. The object
moves in a straight line at constant velocity. After
the object has moved through 3.0 m , determine
a) The work done by force F [ +26.0 J ]
b) The work done by the frictional force [ -26.0 J ]
c) The coefficient of kinetic friction between the
object and the plane. [ 0.59 ]



 Example 3
A force of magnitude 30 N acts on an object of
mass 2.0 kg, which is placed on a rough inclined
plane, as shown in figure below. The object moves up
the plane through 2.0 m and is acted on by a
constant friction force of 5.0 N. Determine the
total work done by the force, friction and the
weight. [ 4.7 J ]
Work done by a
Variable Force
1. We have calculated work only for
constant forces, yet most forces in
nature vary with position.
For example, the force exerted by a
spring depends on how far the spring is
stretched.
Graphical Representation of the Work Done by a
Constant Force
Work Done by a Non-Constant Force
2. If the force F varies with the displacement x, the
work done can be obtained from a force-
displacement graph in which the component of the
force in the direction of the displacement.
Work Done by a Continuously Varying Force
Work Done by a Continuously Varying Force
Work done by a variable force
= b
W   F dx
a
= area under the force-displacement
graph
3. Within the elastic limit of the spring , the
force F is given by Hooke’s law as

F  kx
Where k is a constant known as the spring constant.

x F
4. The graph in figure below shows the variation of force
with extension x.
Work done in stretching a spring from x = 0
(equilibrium) to the general position x is the shaded ,
triangular area under the graph

f
F

x
x
Work Needed to Stretch a Spring a
Distance x

a) The work done is equal

to the shaded area,
which is a right
triangle.

b) The area of the

triangle is ½(x)(kx) = ½
k x2.
 x
W   Fdx
0

= shaded area under the graph

1
 Fx
2
1
 kx 2
2
5. Work to stretch or compress a spring a
distance x from equilibrium ,

1
W  kx 2

2
Energy
1. Energy enables a body to do work.
2. There are various forms of energy, such
as mechanical energy, chemical energy
and nuclear energy.
3. We will discuss mechanical energy in this
topic
4. The two main forms of mechanical energy
are kinetic energy and potential energy.
Kinetic Energy and the
Work-Energy Theorem
1. Kinetic energy is the energy of a body
due to its motion.
2. In general, whenever the total work done
an object is positive, its speed increases.
When the total work done on an object is
negative, its speed decreases.
3. The work done on the body has caused
it to move with a velocity of v.

Kinetic energy of the body,

1 2
K  mv
2
4. Kinetic energy is never negative.
Instead, K is always greater than or equal
to zero.
Independent of the direction of motion
or the direction of any forces.
5. Work- energy theorem states :
The total work done by a resultant
force on an object is equal to the
change in its kinetic energy of the
object:
Work done,

1 1
W  K  mv  mu 2 ,
2

2 2
 change in kinetic energy
Potential Energy
1. The potential energy of a body is the
energy of the body due to its relative
position or its physical state.
2. Gravitational Potential energy

U  mgh
Depends only on the height h, and
is independent of horizontal position.
Gravitational Potential Energy
3. Elastic Potential energy
When a spring is stretched by a force F, and the extension
produced is x, the work done in stretching the spring is
1
U  kx 2
2
The work done on string becomes the spring’s elastic potential
energy.

Since U depends on x2, which is positive even if x is negative

4. The elastic potential energy stored in
the spring is always greater than or
equal to zero when it is stretched or
compressed.
Thus, elastic potential energy increases
whenever it is displaced from equilibrium.
Conservative
and
Non conservative Forces
1. In Physics, we classify forces according
to whether they are conservative or non
conservative.
2. The key different is that when a
conservative force acts, the work it does
is stored in the form of energy that can
be released at later time.
3. A conservative force is defined as a force
which does no work in a complete forward and
backward journey.
4. When a ball is thrown vertically upwards, the
kinetic energy of the ball is converted to
potential energy. The potential energy (mgh)
of the ball comes from the work done against
force of gravity.
5. When the ball falls, work done by force of
gravity = mgh
7. Hence, the net work done by the gravity
on the ball during the upward journey and
downward journey is zero.
8. The force of gravity is an example of
conservative force.
Lifting a box against gravity with constant speed takes a work
mgh. When the box is released, gravity does the same work on the
box as it falls. Gravity is a conservative force
9. For a conservative force , the work done
in moving a body between two points
depends only on the position of the
points and is independent of the path
taken.
10. Figure below shows a body of mass m being raised
from the point A to B through a height of h.
The Work Done by a Conservative Force
Is Zero on Any Closed Path
10. The work done by the force of gravity is (-mgh).
This work done is negative because work is done
against gravity. The magnitude of the work done is
always the same irrespectively of the path taken,
whether path 1 , path 2 or path 3.
11. Another example of a conservative force is
the elastic force of a spring.
12. On the other hand, friction is not a
conservative force (nonconservative
force).
Pushing a box with constant speed against
friction takes a work. When the box is
released it quickly comes to rest and
friction does no further work.
13. The work done by a kinetic friction
cannot be recovered as kinetic energy.
14. It is converted to other forms of energy,
such as a slight warming of the floor and
box. Thus, friction is a non conservatice
force.
Conservative and Nonconservative Forces

Force

Conservative forces

Gravity

Spring force

Nonconservative forces

Friction

Tension in a rope, cable

Forces exerted by a motor

Forces exerted by muscles

Principle of
Conservation of Energy
1. An important principle in physics is the
principle of conservation of energy.
2. This principle states that energy is
always conserved.
3. Although energy can be converted from
one form to another, energy cannot be
created or destroyed
4. According to the principle of
conservation of energy, the total energy
of a closed / isolated system is
constant.
5. For a mechanical system, the mechanical energy E
is the sum of the potential energy and kinetic
energy of an object.
Kinetic energy + potential energy =
constant
K U  E (Constant)

K i U i  K f U f

Ei  E f

E = constant

E is conserved
 Question 1
A force F of magnitude 10 N acts on an object of mass 2.0 kg
placed on a rough horizontal plane as shown in figure below.
The object moves in a straight line at constant speed 15 ms-1.
The frictional force acting on the object can be assumed to be
constant. At a particular instant, force F becomes zero.
Determine

a) The velocity of the object after it has travelled through 5.0

m from the moment that force F becomes zero. [ 13.5 ms-1 ]
b) The additional distance the object must travel through for it
to come to rest. [ 21.0 m ]
 Question 2
The figure below shows a block X of mass 4.0 kg on a
smooth inclined plane. It is connected by a string over a
smooth pulley to block Y of mass 6.0 kg. Assuming that the
acceleration due to gravity g = 10 ms-2, what is the total
kinetic energy of the system immediately after block Y falls
through a vertical distance of 0.5 m from rest? [20 J]
 Question 3
Refer to figure below. Determine the speed of the
object when it reaches
a) point A , b) point B. [ 14.1 ms-1 , 11.8 ms-1 ]
 Question 4
A 1.9-kg block slides down a frictionless ramp, as shown in figure
below. The top of the ramp is 1.5 m above the ground; the bottom
of the ramp is 0.25 m above the ground. The block leaves the
ramp moving horizontally, and lands a horizontal distance d away.
Find
a) the distance d. [ 1.1 m ]
b) Suppose the ramp is not frictionless. Find the distance d for the
case in which friction on the ramp does -9.7 J of work on the
block before it becomes airborne. [0.85 m ]
 Question 5
Figure below shows a spring-mass system. The spring
constant is 80 Nm-1. The object has a mass of 1.5 kg.
It oscillates to the left and right about the point of
equilibrium O, which is at x = 0. When the object
moves through O, its velocity is 1.0 ms-1. Determine
a) The extension of the spring when the velocity of the
object is 0.50 ms-1 ,
b) The maximum extension [ 0.12 m , 0.14 m ]
 Question 6
 Objects P and Q of masses 2.0 kg and 4.0 kg respectively
are connected by a light string and suspended, as shown in
figure below. Object Q is held at rest in such a way that the
string is just about to be pulled downwards by P. Q is then
released. Determine the speed of Q at the instant just before
it strikes the floor. [ 3.61 ms-1]
 Question 7
 Figure (a) shows an unload spring and figure (b)
shows the same spring extended by a length of x
when there is a mass m attached at its end. If the
spring constant is k, A.Loss
which of the following
of heat energy =

statements is correct?

1 2
A. Loss of heat energy = mgx  kx
2
1
B. Loss of heat energy = mgx  kx 2
2
C. Loss of heat energy = kx 2
1 2
D. Loss of heat energy = kx
2
 Question 8
 The figure below shows a stationary marble of mass 20 g sliding down
from a point A along a smooth track. After reaching the bottom of the
track, the marble then moves up another smooth track to C and then
along a rough horizontal plane until it stops at D. The height of A is 8.0 m
whereas the height of C is 0.3 m from the base. Assuming the
acceleration due to gravity is 10 ms-2, and the average frictional force
along CD is 0.2 N, calculate
a) The gravitational potential energy of the marble at A
b) The speed of the marble at B
c) The kinetic energy of the marble at C
d) The distance CD
Question 9
Question 10
Question 11
Power
1. Power is defined as the rate of doing
work, that is

work done
Power , P 
time taken
W

S.I unit: Js-1 = watt, W t
2. Consider a system in which a car, or some
other object is moving with a constant
speed v.

W Fd
P 
t t
 d
3. Since the car has a constant speed v 
t

Fd d
P  F ( )  Fv
t t

Note that power is directly proportional to both the force and the speed.
Q1

To pass a slow-moving truck, you want your

fancy, 1.30 x 103kg car to accelerate from
13.4 ms-1 to 17.9 ms-1 in 3.0 s. What is the
minimum power required for this pass?
Q2

You raise a bucket of water from the bottom

of a deep well. If your power output is 108
W, and the mass of the bucket and the
water in it is 5.00 kg, with what speed can
you raise the bucket? Ignore the weight of
the rope.
Q4
 The power of a motorcycle varies with its velocity as
shown in the following figure. If the total mass of the
motorcycle and the rider is 500 kg, what is the
acceleration of the motorcycle? [8 ms-1]
Q5
 The figure below shows a wheel being rotated by a
motor so that the two weights 100 N and 60 N which
are attached to the two ends of a belt over the wheel
appears to be stationary. If the circumference of the
wheel is 0.5 m and the wheel is rotating at 50
revolutions per second, what is the output power?
[1000 W]