WORK, ENERGY AND

ENERGY CONSERVATION
From Einstein, we learned that matter is energy and energy
is matter. But unlike matter which we can see, feel, smell,
taste, has mass, and occupies space, energy is something
that abstract to us, for we cannot use our five senses to
find its presence in out life.
We cannot see or feel it. we cannot even taste or smell it.
but all the things that we observe in our surroundings, all
the events, activities, and happenings on earth (storms,
hurricanes and rain) are observable proofs of the presence
of energy as it is being transformed.
This means that energy is something that is both a "thing
and a process". it is a thing that can be observed,
conserved, stored, and transformed.
Energy is in the center of all concepts that underlie
science. we know that the energy we are enjoying on earth
comes from the sun in the form of sunlight. it is something
that we get from the food that we eat, thus sustaining life.
energy is a very familiar concept in science that is very
difficult to define. it can be found in persons, places, and
things that could not be seen. energy can only be observed
when something happens, when changes occur, that is,
only when it is transformed, and when it does work.
WORK AND ENERGY
Work is a process to transform energy We do work on a
ball by throwing it. when we do so, we are transforming
chemical energy which we obtained from food into energy
of motion of the ball.
we do work on an object when we lift it since we bring the
object away from the earth's surface The heavier the object
or the higher we lift it the more work is accomplished. two
things enter into every case where work is done: the
exertion of a force and the movement of that certain object
by the given force.
DOT OR THE SCALAR
PRODUCT OF VECTORS
We can get the product of vector quantities with a scalar.
this is called Dot or Scalar product. Dot or scalar product
is an important concept in physics because it used to solve
for physical quantities. one of these quantities is work. Dot
or scalar product can quantitatively define the work done
in a system. thus, one must learn how to get the scalar
product of vectors.
WORK IN PHYSICS
When we exert force to move an object in a straight line in
the direction of the force, we do work on the object. The
work done on the object by the applied force is defined as
the product of the force, and the displacement, through
which the object is moved. In mathematical form, W=Fd
Work can be categorized into two;

1. Work done to change the speed of an object.

sample the work done in changing the speed of car. We
either speed it up or slow it down.

2. Work done against another force.

sample is what an archer does on a bow. When he
stretches the string of the bow, work is done against the
elastic forces of the string.
If a man is moving a crate along a horizontal plane, we say
that he is doing work. He does work only if there is
movement against an opposing force. The opposing force
in this case can be friction.

If the force is in Newton (N), and the displacement is in

meter (m) work is then measured in joules (J).
Sample problem
1. A stevedore lifts a cargo of 10kg from the floor to a
truck at 1.2m high. How much work is done by the
stevedore?
Given: m=10kg W= ?
d= 1.2m
Formula: W= Fd
*the opposing force is the weight of the load.
F=mass(gravity)= 10kg(9.8m/s^2)= 98N
Solution:
W= 98N(1.2m)= 117.6J
2. Trigo pushes his box of toys against a frictional force of
0.5N for a distance of 5m. How much work does he do?
Given: Ff = 0.5N
d= 5m
Formula: W= Ff d
Solution: W=0.5N(5m)= 2.5J
WORK AS A SCALAR OR DOT
PRODUCT OF FORCE AND
DISPLACEMENT
Work is a scalar quantity which is characterized only by a
magnitude and a sign. To solve for it, the force vector and
displacement vector must be multiplied. When we
multiply these two vectors F and d we obtain scalar
quantity of work.
Let us consider two vectors A and B, the two vectors are
separated by an angle θ.

θ
B
The Product A and B is defined in terms of magnitude of A
and B as A•B= AB cos θ, which read as A•B. it is clear
that we can write it as A(B cos θ) or B(A cos θ). This
suggest that the dot product can be regarded as the product
of magnitude of one vector and the component of the other
in the direction of the first. The magnitudes A and B are
always positive. But the dot product may be positive,
negative or zero depending on the value of the angle θ.
So if A and B are perpendicular to one another the dot
product is zero. The order of the vectors in the dot product
is not important, that is A•B=B•A. Note that the product of
the magnitude of the vector with itself is just the squared
magnitude of the vector, A•A=A^2 or B•B=B^2.
Sample problem
A crate is moved 2m along a horizontal floor at a constant
speed by a force of 50N which make an angle of 30°
above the horizontal. How much work is done on the crate
by the force? 50N
Given: F= 50N θ= 30°
d= 2m W= ?
Formula: W= F (cos θ) d
Solution: 50N cos 30° (2m) = 86.60J
Relationship between work done by a
constant force and the change in the
kinetic energy of the system
Kinetic energy
kinetic energy, form of energy that an object or a particle
has by reason of its motion. If work, which transfer energy,
is done on an object by applying a net force, the object
speeds up and thereby gains kinetic energy. Kinetic energy
is a property of a moving object or particle and depends
not only on its motion but also on its mass. The kind
of motion may be translation (or motion along a path from
one place to another), rotation about an axis, vibration, or
any combination of motions.
Sample problem
Find the KE of a body of mass 5.0kg which is traveling at
a constant speed of 5m/s.

Given: m= 5.0kg KE= ?

v= 5m/s
Formula: KE=1/2mv^2
Solution: KE= ½(5.0kg)(5m/s)^2
=62.5J
WORK, POWER AND
ENERGY
Work, power, and energy are three closely related concepts
in physics. The concept of work is important since it
represents the amount of energy transformed from one
form to another. The amount of work done to change
energy from one form to another tells us how much energy
has been converted to another form. The rate at which
energy is converted from one form to another is another
important concept because people now are so engrossed
about doing everything fast and easy. In this lesson, we
will relate work, power, and energy.
THE WORK ENERGY THEOREM
AND KINETIC ENERGY
We expect that if we do work, we will get something as a
result. In physics, we always get a result from the effort
that we have exerted to perform work on an object, like
setting the object in motion, making the object rotate, and
making the object jump or roll. We have discussed the
important relationship between work and the change in
kinetic energy. This is known as the work-energy theorem
Sample problem
A water skier whose mass is 70kg has an initial speed of
6 m/s. Later, the speed of the skier becomes 11 m/s
determine the work done by the net force acting on the
skier.
Given: m= 70kg W= ?
Vi= 6m/s
Vf= 11m/s
Formula: W= ½ (m)(Vf^2-V2i^2)

Solution: W= ½(70kg)[(11m/s)^2-(6m/s)^2]
W= 2975J
Relation of power to work, energy,
force and velocity
When we discuss work, we are not only concerned about
the work that is done on a body; are also concerned about
the power doing it. We want to know how long it would
take us to do it. In looking for the time it takes to do a
certain work, we want to know the rate at which the I work
is done. We are looking for power, because by definition,
power (P) is the rate at which work is done. In
mathematical form,
P=work/time
If we have two men doing the same work, we can compare
their accomplishments by determining their power. Let us
say that the two men have the same weight. They are to
climb the same hill. Thus, they will be doing the same
amount of work. But if one of them climbed the hill at a
shorter time compared to the other, we can say that the
man who did the work in a shorter time has a greater
power because his rate of doing the work is greater. If we
want to know how fast the work is done, we have to look
for the amount of power he spent in doing the work.
If we have a machine of great power, the machine can do
work rapidly. If there is a second machine which has twice
the power of the first one, it will do the same work at half
the time. Nowadays, we have automobiles of powerful
engines that have the main advantage of acceleration.
They can accelerate at less time given a certain speed than
a less powerful engine.
A liter of gas can do a specified amount of work. The
power produced by a machine will depend on how fast it
will burn the gasoline. For a car, a liter of gasoline can
produce 100 units of power in half an hour, and a
supersonic jet can produce 100,000 units of power in one
second.
Sample problem
1. How many joules of work is done on an object when a
force of 10 N pushes it at distance of 10 m? what is the
power of the work was done in 5s?
Given: F= 10N t=5s
d= 10m
Formula: W=Fd P=W/t
Solution: W= 10N(10m) = 100J
P= 100J/5s= 20 J/s
2. How much power is expended by a man in moving a
500N crate to a height of 20m in 60s
Given: F= 500N t= 60s
d= 20m
Formula: P=W/t W=Fd
Solution: W= 500N(20m) = 10,000J
P= 10,000J/60s= 166.67
GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL
ENERGY OF A SYSTEM
When we wind a spring mechanism, we do work. The
spring acquires a type of energy which can be used to do
work. Energy can be stored in an object, like the
woundspring, to be able to do work. Energy can also be
stored in an object by virtue of its position. For example, a
box at a tabletop has potential energy due to its position. A
force was exerted to it to be able to put it in that position.
The product of that force and its position or height to
which it was brought is equal to the work done on it. This
work stores gravitational potential energy to the body.
If we want to elevate an object against the Earth's gravity,
we have to do work on the object in bringing it to the
elevated position. The object, as a result, gains potential
energy. This is called gravitational potential energy. Other
examples of gravitational potential energy stored in an
object are water in an elevated reservoir, an elevated ram
or pile driver, and a boulder on top of a mountain. All of
these can do work if released from their elevated positions.
The work done in elevating the object is equal to the
gravitational potential energy stored in the elevated object.
There are many forms of energy. Energy is the capacity to
do work. Energy can be changed from one form to another
form. We have already observed in many cases that energy
is changed from one form to another, but the amount of
energy always stays the same. It is because energy cannot
be created nor destroyed. This is called the principle of
conservation of energy which states that energy cannot be
created nor destroyed; it is just converted from one form to
another.
 Elastic potential
energy of a system
We have discussed earlier that an object brought to some
position above the surface of the Earth has gravitational
potential energy. So when we allow it to fall, like a ram in a
pile driver, it can do work. On the other hand, a spring, when
compressed or stretched, also has stored potential energy. We
refer to this as elastic potential energy. A compressed or a
stretched spring can do work on an object which is attached to
it. An example of a stretched or a compressed spring doing
work on an object is a door-closing gadget that we use with our
screen doors. When an open door is released, the compressed
spring expands and does the work of closing the door.
Conservative and non conservative
forces
What are conservative and non-conservative forces? Is
there a difference between the two forces? Which of the
forces can be considered conservative and which are non-
conservative? In this lesson, we will focus on these two
types of forces.
CONSERVATIVE FORCES
Gravitational force has an interesting property. When an
object is moved from one position to another by a
gravitational force, the work done does not depend on the
path taken by the force moving the object. Let us say, two
mountain climbers of the same weight, both 500 N,
climbed a mountain using different paths.
Climber 1, Berns, took a circuitous path in climbing the
mountain towards the peak, while the Climber 2, Yay, took
a straight path. The diagram shows that the height of the
peak is one kilometer. If we are to calculate the work done
by Berns, we will get his work done to be 500 N x 1,000
meters = 500,000 J. On the other hand, the work done by
Yay is 500 N × 1,000 m = 500,000 J. It can be seen that in
spite of the different paths taken by the two climbers, the
work that they have done are still the same or equal. They
both do a work 500,000 J.
If the work done by a force in moving an object is
independent of the path taken to do the work, then the
force is said to be a conservative force. An example of a
conservative force is gravitational force. Other
conservative forces are elastic force of a spring and
electric force between two electric charges.
If we have a curved track like the one shown in Figure
7.10, assuming that there is no friction along the track and
there is no air resistance, a ball dropped at point A will
travel through B, then will stop momentarily at C, then
goes back through B, and will return to A which is the
starting point.
A
B C
This kind of path which begins and ends at the same point
is called a closed path. The only force acting on the object
is the force due to gravity. It is the only force that does
work on the object along the path. During the entire trip,
the amount of positive work done on the object is equal to
the negative work on the return trip. So the net work done
on the object is zero. Therefore, the work due to gravity is
zero for a closed path.
We can therefore state that;
“a conservative force is one that does no net work balen
on an object moving in a closed path, and starts and
finishes at the same point.”
NON CONSERVATIVE FORCE
All the forces that we have considered are conservative
forces, which we can say are ideal forces. But not all
forces are conservative. There are those which we call
non-conservative forces. A force is non-conservative if the
work it does on moving objects depends on the path of
motion of the object. One example of non-conservative
forces is the kinetic frictional force which points opposite
to the direction of the sliding motion. It is also doing
negative work. This work is equal to the product of the
kinetic frictional force and the length of the path taken, so
over longer paths, greater amount of work is done.
For a closed path, the total amount of work done by a non-
conservative force is not equal to zero. For instance,
opposing the motion of an object traveling in a closed path
is kinetic frictional force which slows down the object in
its track.
Other examples of non-conservative forces are static
friction, air resistance, tension, normal force, and thrust
force of a rocket.