Work and Kinetic Energy

In our daily life, we tend to associate the amount of work we produce with physical effort. However, this is a very specific concept in physics, as we can only do work when we move an object. Regardless of our physical effort, we won't do any work if we push a wall as it won't move. Still, when we are pushing, our muscles use energy, so we get tired,  we might begin to shake, and even sweat. It may sound a bit unfair that physicists don't consider all that effort, right? But there is a good reason for work's definition to be like that. Even if our body spends energy internally, no energy is transferred to the wall. This article will dig deeper into the curious concept of work in physics. We will also study the deep relationship between Kinetic Energy and Work.

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Work is the amount of mechanical energy ___.

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The dot product for work is is equal to:

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The relationship between work and the mechanical energy of a system is:

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If at the end of the object's path it returns to the initial position, then the work done by a conservative force on the system and the change in potential energy will both be:

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 Work can be found by determining the area under the curve:

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The component of the force ____ to the displacement will contribute to the work, but the ____ component will not.

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The perpendicular component of the force can contribute to changing the direction of motion of the system.    

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There is a force acting on the object but there is no displacement of the object.

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A small block of mass \(m=2.0\;\mathrm{kg}\) is pushed from the initial point \((x_i,z_i)=(0\;\mathrm m,\;0\;\mathrm m)\) upward to the final point \((x_f,z_f)=(3\;\mathrm m,\;3\;\mathrm m)\) along the  a portion of the parabola \(z=x^2\). How much work is done by gravity during this displacement? (consider \(  g \) as \(  10\,\mathrm{ \frac{N}{kg} } \)).

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What are the units for work?

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The Work-Energy theorem states that the change in kinetic energy equals the:

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Work is the amount of mechanical energy ___.

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The dot product for work is is equal to:

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The relationship between work and the mechanical energy of a system is:

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If at the end of the object's path it returns to the initial position, then the work done by a conservative force on the system and the change in potential energy will both be:

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  • Immunology
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  • Mo

 Work can be found by determining the area under the curve:

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The component of the force ____ to the displacement will contribute to the work, but the ____ component will not.

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  • Immunology
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  • Mo

The perpendicular component of the force can contribute to changing the direction of motion of the system.    

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  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

There is a force acting on the object but there is no displacement of the object.

Show Answer
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  • Immunology
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  • Mo

A small block of mass \(m=2.0\;\mathrm{kg}\) is pushed from the initial point \((x_i,z_i)=(0\;\mathrm m,\;0\;\mathrm m)\) upward to the final point \((x_f,z_f)=(3\;\mathrm m,\;3\;\mathrm m)\) along the  a portion of the parabola \(z=x^2\). How much work is done by gravity during this displacement? (consider \(  g \) as \(  10\,\mathrm{ \frac{N}{kg} } \)).

Show Answer
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  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

What are the units for work?

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The Work-Energy theorem states that the change in kinetic energy equals the:

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    Frequently Asked Questions about Work and Kinetic Energy

    How is kinetic energy related to work?

    Kinetic energy and work are related by the Work-Energy theorem which states that the change in kinetic energy equals the net work, or the sum of the work made by all the forces acting on the object.

    Does kinetic energy increase with work?

    Yes, the more work done a system in order to accelerate, the more kinetic energy will be transferred to the object.

    Is kinetic energy and work done the same?

    Both the kinetic energy and work have the same units, joules (J), and even though they are related as stated in the Work-Energy theorem, they are not the same concept. Work is the amount of energy you can put into a system or take from it. After work has been done, energy will have been transferred to the system and the system will have been displaced from its rest position. The energy that was transferred to the system as it starts moving is called kinetic energy.

    Is work a form of kinetic energy?

    Work is the amount of energy you can put into a system. Forces that are acting on the system, which are parallel to the system's displacement, will do work on the system. This increases the system's potential energy and/or kinetic energy.

    What is the relation between work and power?

    Work quantifies the energy transferred to or taken from a system. A force must be parallel to the displacement of the system to do work. On the other hand, power is the amount of time it takes to do the work.

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    Work is the amount of mechanical energy ___.

    The dot product for work is is equal to:

    The relationship between work and the mechanical energy of a system is:

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