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Work Done Against Gravity: W MGH

This document provides an explanation of work done against gravity. It defines the formula for work against gravity as W = mgh, where m is mass, g is acceleration due to gravity, and h is height. It then provides examples of calculating work against gravity for lifting objects of different masses to different heights. It concludes with practice problems asking the reader to calculate work against gravity in various scenarios.

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127 views

Work Done Against Gravity: W MGH

This document provides an explanation of work done against gravity. It defines the formula for work against gravity as W = mgh, where m is mass, g is acceleration due to gravity, and h is height. It then provides examples of calculating work against gravity for lifting objects of different masses to different heights. It concludes with practice problems asking the reader to calculate work against gravity in various scenarios.

Uploaded by

Skrappy 45
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Work Done Against Gravity WS 1/1

Name: Date:

Work Done against Gravity 4.1

Any time you lift an object, you do work against gravity. We use the same formula for work that you already
know (Work = force × distance), but it’s expressed in a slightly different form:
Work against gravity = mass × acceleration due to gravity × height
W = mgh

Force is written in the form mg, where m is mass and g is the acceleration due to gravity, 9.8 m/sec2. We use h for
height because only the vertical distance an object moves matters for calculating work against gravity.

Did you know...If you have to lift a new sofa to a second-floor apartment, the work done against gravity is the
same whether you haul it straight up the side of the building with ropes or take a longer path up the stairs. Only
the vertical distance matters because the force of gravity is vertical.

You lift a 2-liter bottle of cola from a grocery bag on the floor to a refrigerator shelf that is 0.8 meter high. If the
bottle has a mass of 2.02 kilograms, how much work did you do against gravity?
Looking for Solution
The amount of work done against gravity. W = mgh
Given 2
W = 2.02 kg × 9.8 m/sec × 0.8 m
mass of bottle = 2.02 kilograms
W = 15.8 joules
acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/sec2
height = 0.8 meter
Relationship
W = mgh

1. Jai-Anna, who has a mass of 45 kilograms, climbed 3 meters up a ladder to rescue her cat from a tree. How
much work against gravity did she do?

2. A tram inside the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri lifts visitors to a window-lined observation room
192 meters above the ground. How much work does the tram’s motor do against gravity to carry two 55-
kilogram passengers to this room? (You may ignore the work done by the motor to carry the tram itself).

3. You pick up a 10-newton book off the floor and put it on a shelf 2 meters high. How much work did you do?

4. Elijah does 44 joules of work against gravity to pull a 0.5-kilogram rope with a 1.0-kilogram bucket attached
up to the floor of his tree house. How many meters high is his tree house?

5. Alejandra weighs 225 newtons. How much work does she do against gravity when she climbs to a ledge at
the top of a 15-meter climbing wall?

6. A window-washer stands on a scaffolding 30 meters above the ground. If he did 23,520 joules of work to
reach the scaffolding, what is his mass?
Unit 2 Skill and Practice Sheets

4.1 Work Done Against Gravity


1. 1,323 joules 4. 3 meters
2. 207,000 joules 5. 3,375 joules
3. 20 joules 6. 80 kilograms
4.1 Power
1. 250 watts 9. 2,160,000 joules
2. 50 watts 10. 2,500 watts
3. 1,200 watts 11. 90,000 joules
4. 1,500 watts 12. work = 1,500 joules; time = 60 seconds
5. 741 watts 13. force =25 newtons; power = 250 watts
6. 720 watts 14. distance = 100 meters; power = 1,000 watts
7. work = 500 joules; power = 33 watts 15. force = 333 newtons, work = 5,000 joules
8. 1,800 seconds or 30 minutes
4.2 Mechanical Advantage
1. 4 7. 3
2. 0.4 8. 150 newtons
3. 100 newtons 9. 1.5
4. 25 newtons 10. Answers are:
5. 300 newtons a. 1,500 newtons
6. 26 newtons b. 2 meters
4.2 Mechanical Advantage of Simple Machines
1. 5 8. 6.7
2. 1.5 9. 2 meters
3. 0.5 meters 10. 12 meters
4. 4.8 meters 11. 2.4
5. 0.4 12. 6 newtons
6. 0.8 meters 13. 560 newtons
7. 0.25 meters 14. 4 meters
4.2 Gear Ratios
1. 9 turns 7. Answers for the table are:
2. 1 turn Table 2: Set up for three gears
3. 4 turns Set Gears Number Ratio 1 Ratio 2 Total gear
4. 10 turns up of teeth ratio
5. 6 turns (top (middle
6. Answers for the table are: gear: gear: (Ratio 1 x
Table 1: Using the gear ratio to calculate number of turns middle bottom Ratio 2)
Input Output Gear How many How many gear) gear)
Gear Gear ratio turns does turns does 1 Top gear 12
(# of (# of (Input Gear: the output the input
Middle 24
teeth) teeth) Output Gear) gear make gear make if gear 1
---
2
---
1
---
if the input the output 2 3 3
gear turns gear turns 2 Bottom 36
3 times? times? gear
24 24 1 3 2 2 Top gear 24
36 12 3 9 0.67, or 2/3 Middle 36
2 3 2
of a turn gear --- --- ---
3 1 1
24 36 0.67, or 2/3 2 3 Bottom 12
48 36 1.33, or 4/3 4 1.5 gear

24 48 0.5, or 1/2 1.5 4

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