AP Physics

Enosburg Falls High School

Mr. Bushey
Week 6: Work, Energy, Power
Homework
! Read Giancoli Chapter 6.1 6.10 AND/OR Read Saxon
Lessons 12, 16, 29, 48
! Read Topic Summary Handout
! Answer Giancoli p.174 Problems 1, 4, 7, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23,
25
! Answer Princeton Review p.79 AP Set multiple choice, free
response questions
Supplemental Review / Study Group Focus
! Review Key Concepts Handout
! Schaums Outlines, Chapter 6 Problems 6.24 6.53
! Schaums Outlines, Chapter 7 Problems 7.10 7.17
! Solve problems from associated Saxon lessons

Work and Work-Energy Theorem

Work
Work is defined as the scalar product of force and displacement. Work is done when a non-zero
net force acts on a moving object. If a force F moves an object over a distance d, work can be
found by using the formula:

!
F

"

!
F

"

!
d
! !
W ! F "d

If F and d are parallel, the work is W ! F d . If they are not parallel, then the work is

W ! F d cos " .
From this formula, one can conclude that for the work to be done, the following conditions must
be met:
#

The object must move (i.e. d $ 0). A force can be exerted on an object with no work done,
e.g. pushing on a wall, holding up 100 lb, etc.

If F and d are perpendicular, no work is done (cos " = 0). For example, carrying something is
not work because the angle between the force (upwards) and displacement (horizontal) is
equal to 0.

The SI unit of work is Joule (J), and 1 J = 1 N x 1 m.

If the angle between force and displacement is less than 900, cos " >0, and the work is
positive. If 90o < " < 180o, cos " <0, and the work is negative. Friction always does negative
work because it always acts in the direction opposite (180o) to the motion of the object.

Work either changes the velocity of an object or counteracts the work done by an opposing force.
For example, if a car is moving at a constant speed, the engine does work on the car to
counteract the work done by friction in the opposite direction. If an object is moving with constant
velocity, the net force acting on it is zero. In this case, the net amount of work done on it must
also be zero (Wnet=Fnetd).

Energy
Energy is one of the most fundamental concepts of Physics. It is a very abstract concept that
does not have a single definition. Energy is a characteristic of a system. Energy in a system gives
it the capability to perform some operation. When work is done on a system or by a system, the
energy of the system changes. In other words, the system gains or loses energy through the
process of work. If positive work is done, the system gains energy. If work is negative, the system
loses energy. If no work is done, the total energy of the system does not change.

There are many types of energy. Kinetic energy (K or Ek) is the energy of motion. It depends only
upon the square of the speed and the mass of the object.
1
2

K ! mv 2

Work - Energy Theorem

An object is moving with an acceleration a over a distance d. Then according to the formula,

v 2f ! vi2 " 2 a d :
F
v 2f ! vi2 " 2( ) d .
m

vi

!
F

vf

Solving for F d gives

m
F d ! (v 2f # vi2 )
2

!
d

The work done on the object W is given by

W !Fd !

m 2
1
1
(v f # vi2 ) ! mv 2f # mvi2 ! K f # K i
2
2
2

Or, we can rewrite it as

W ! K f # Ki ! $K
This is the kinetic energywork theorem: The change of kinetic energy of a body is equal to
the work of all the forces acting upon it.

!
F

Work and Work-Energy Theorem

1. A box, initially at rest, is pulled a distance of 5 m across a floor by a horizontal force of 23 N. At
the end of the 5 m, the kinetic energy of the box is 87 J.

a. What was the net work done on the box?

According to the Work-Energy theorem, the net work done on the box is equal to the change in
the kinetic energy.

Wnet ! "Ek ! 87J

b. How much work was done by the 23 N force?

W = F d = (23 N)(5 m) = 115 J

c. How much work was done by friction?

The net work is equal to the sum of the work done by the applied force and the work done by the
friction.
Wnet = WA + Wf
Wf = Wnet WA =87 J 115 J = 28 J

d. How much work was done by the gravitational force?

The gravitational force is perpendicular to the displacement. Thus, the gravitational force does no
work. Wg = 0 J.
2. Bill carries a 35 N package from the ground up to the fifth floor of a 15 m high office building.
How much work is done by Bill on the package?
The force Bill is applying to the package is directed up. He must be applying a force directed up
to the package that is equal to the packages weight. Hes also moving up. Therefore, # = 0.
F = 35 N
d = 15 m
W=?

W = F d cos # = F d
W = (35 N)(15 m)(cos 0) = 525 J

3. A 4 kg brick slides a distance (d) of 5m along an icy slope of inclination angle of 30o. The
coefficient of kinetic friction is !k = 0.20. What will be the speed of the brick at the end of the
slope?

"

There are three forces acting on the brick.

The work done by gravity = m g d cos(90 - "), as the angle enclosed by G and the slope is 90 - ".
Note that cos(90 - ") = sin" (trigonometry), therefore, Wg = m g d sin ". Note that d sin" = h
where h is the height of the slope. Thus, the work is equal to m g h.
The normal force encloses 90o with the displacement, so Wn = Fn d cos(90o) = 0.
The work of the friction is Wfr = - !#Fn#d = - !k m g d#cos(").
The work of all forces is W = m g d (sin " - !k cos ") and this will be equal to the kinetic energy Kf
= 1/2 mvf2.

mgd (sin " $ ! cos " ) %

mv 2f

2 gd (sin " $ ! cos " ) % v

2
2
f

v f % 2 gd (sin " $ ! cos " )

% 2(9.81m/s 2 )(5 m)(0.500 $ (0.20)(0.866))
% 5.7 m/s
4. A 2 kg block is accelerated from rest along a horizontal, smooth surface by a force of 5 N over
a distance of 6 m.
a. Determine the acceleration of the block and the final velocity of the block.
F
5N
a %
%
% 2.50 m/s 2
m
2 kg

v f 2 $ vo 2 % 2 a # (x
v f 2 $ & 0 m/s '
vf %

% 2 & 2.50 m/s 2 ' & 6 m ' % 30 m 2 /s 2

30 m 2 /s 2 % 5.48 m/s

b. Calculate the work done by the accelerating force.

W $ F d Cos # $

! 5 N "! 6 m " ! Cos 0o "

$ 30 N % m $ 30.0 J

c. Use the Work-Energy theorem to determine the final velocity of the block. Compare your
answer to the answer obtained in part (a).
W $ &KE $ KE f - KEi
KE f $ W ' KEi $ 30 J ' 0 J $ 30 J
1
2

! 2 kg " vf 2 $

vf $

30 J
$
1 kg

30 J
30 m 2 /s 2 $ 5.48 m/s

d. Find the final velocity of the block if it has an initial velocity of +2 m/s.
W $ &KE $ KE f - KEi
1
1
m v 2f ( m vi2
2
2
1
1
30 J =
! 2 kg " v f 2 (
2
2
30 J = !1 kg " v f 2 ( 4 J

W $

vf $

34 J
$
1 kg

! 2 kg "! 2 m/s "

34 m 2 /s 2 $ 5.83 m/s

e. If the block is moving with a velocity of 8 m/s, what magnitude retarding force is needed to
bring the block to rest over a distance of 5 m?

&KE $ KE f - KEi
1
1
m vf 2 m vi 2
2
2
1
1
2
$
! 2 kg "! 0 m/s " 2
2
$ -64 J
$

&KE
&x % Cos #
-64 J
$
(5 m)(1)
$ -12.8 N

F $

! 2 kg "! 8 m/s "

5. Hookes law states that F ! "k x .

a. Find the work required to compress the spring through a distance x.
Because the force is not constant throughout the distance moved, we need to integrate the
product of the distance and the force to determine the work. Also the force we exert is opposite in
direction to the force exerted by the spring, so the force we exert is F ! k x .
x

W ! # F dx ! #

x2
k x dx ! k
2

The work required is then

!
0

1 2
1
k x " 0 ! k x2
2
2
W!

1 2
kx .
2

b. What is the potential energy of a spring which was initially at zero and was compressed to a
point x?
When the spring has been compressed its velocity is zero, so there is no kinetic energy, all of the
energy is then potential energy.
1
Work is equal to the change in the energy. Thus, U spring ! k x 2 .
2

Conservative Forces and Potential Energy

Conservative Forces
Definition: A force is called conservative if the work it does on an object depends only on the
initial and final positions of the object and is independent of the path taken between those
positions.
Gravity is one such conservative force. Near Earths surface, the work done by gravity on an
object of mass m depends only on the change in the objects height h.
In the case of conservative forces, we assign a number--the potential energy, U--to each
configuration of the system. The zero level of the potential energy is arbitrary; it can be assigned
to any position. If the place with zero potential energy is chosen, the potential energy at any point
A is the work done by the force when the body moves from the point A to the point 0 with zero
potential energy. So, U(A) = WA0.
The work is additive. If the body moves from A to B and then to point 0, then
WA0 ! WAB " WB 0 ,
U ( A) ! WAB " U ( B) or WAB ! U ( A) # U ( B ) .

Examples of Potential Energy

The Gravitational Potential Energy
Gravity is an example of a conservative force. The work done on an object of mass m when it is
raised height h at constant velocity by an external force is mgh. Ug = mgh is called the
gravitational potential energy of the object.
The only physically significant quantity is the change in potential energy, and not the absolute
value of the potential energy. For this reason, in problem solving, we usually choose a convenient
point (table top level, ground level, sea level, etc.) and set the potential energy at this level to be
zero. All heights are measured from this level. Then, if the object is below the zero level, its
potential energy is negative. It is important to stress again that only the change in potential
energy is physically significant.

Gravitational Potential Energy: Ug = mgy

Change in Gravitational Potential Energy: $Ug = Ug - Ugo = mgh - mgho

The Elastic Potential Energy

Springs, rubber bands, and other springy objects also exert conservative forces. At relatively
small elongations, the force exerted by a spring is proportional to the amount x by which the
spring has been stretched,
Fspr ! " k x ,

(The - sign indicates that the force is directed in the opposite direction to the stretch.)
k is the constant of proportionality and is called the springs spring constant. This proportionality
between the force F and the amount of stretching (or compression) x is known as Hookes Law.
The work done by a spring with a given spring constant depends only on x, so an associated
potential energy is

U spr ( x) ! 12 k x 2 .
Note that x = 0 is at the equilibrium (unstretched) position of the spring.

Nonconservative forces
Unlike conservative forces, the work done by nonconservative forces depends on the path the
object moves and not just on the initial and final points. Friction is an example of a
nonconservative force. A nonconservative force is often called a dissipative force.

Conservative Forces and Potential Energy

1. A 5 kg bowling ball is carried to the top of a tower that is 45 m high. The bowling ball is
released from rest and falling freely to the ground.
a. What force is required to lift the bowling ball to the top of the tower at constant velocity?
FNet ! 0 N ! FApplied - W
FApplied ! W ! m g = (5 kg)(10 m/s) ! 50 N

FApp = 50 N

Wt = 50 N

b. How much work is done by the lifting force to lift the bowling ball from the ground to the top of
the tower?
W ! FNet d !

" 50 N #" 45 m #

! 2250 J

c. What is the Gravitational Potential Energy of the bowling ball on the top of the tower?

GPEtop ! W ! $ 2250 J

d. How do the GPE and the KE of the bowling ball change if the bowling ball falls from the top of
the tower to the ground?
As the bowling ball falls, it loses height and its GPE decreases. Because of the
gravitational force, the bowling ball accelerates (g = 10 m/s2), its speed increases, and its
KE increases.
e. Use the equations of motion to find the speed of the bowling ball at the moment it hits the
ground. What is the KE of the bowling ball at the instant it strikes the ground? Compare it with the
answer from part (c).
d ! % 45 m ; v0 ! 0 m/s ; a ! %10 m/s 2
v f 2 % vo 2 ! 2a d
v f 2 % (0 m/s) 2 ! 2 " %10 m/s 2 # " %45 m # ! 900 m 2 /s 2
vf !

900 m 2 /s 2

! 30 m/s

Ek f !

1
1
2
m vf 2 !
" 5 kg #" 30 m/s # ! 2250 J
2
2

The answer is the same as in part (c).

f. Use the equations of motion for free fall to determine the height above the ground and the
potential energy of the bowling ball at t = 2 s after it is released.
h f # h0 $ v0 t $

1 2
at
2

# 45 m $ ! 0 m/s "! 2 s " $

1
2

! %10 m/s " ! 2 s "

2

h f # 25 m
GPE f # mgh #

! 5 kg "

!10 m/s " ! 25 m "

2

# 1250 J

g. Calculate the velocity and the KE of the bowling ball at time t = 2 s after it is released.
v f # v0 $ a t
# 0 m/s $

! %10 m/s " ! 2 s "

2

# % 20 m/s

1
m v 2f
2
1
2
(5 kg) ! %20 m/s " # 1000 J
#
2

KE f #

h. Calculate the sum of the KE and GPE of the bowling ball at this time and compare it with its
initial potential energy and with its final kinetic energy at the moment it hits the ground.
GPEf + KEf = 1000J + 1250J = 2250J = GPEtop = KEf
i. The bowling ball hits the ground and compresses the ground a distance of 0.020 m.
What is the magnitude of the average force exerted by the ground on the bowling ball as it
comes to rest?
Ignoring the small change in GPE as the ground is compressed, the Change in KE is
equal to the work done by the force exerted by the ground:
&KE # KE f % KEo # 0 J - 2250 J # -2250 J
Work Done # &KE
F d =F (d f % d i ) # &KE
F (%0.020 m % 0 m) # % 2250 J
F #

%2250 J
# 113,000 N
%0.020 m

Conservation of Energy and Power

According to the Work-energy Theorem,

WAll _ Forces ! "K

Work of all forces can be separated into two components, work of conservative forces and work
of non-conservative forces.

WAll _ Forces ! WConsearvative _ Forces # WNon _ Conservative _ Forces

Further,

WConservative _ Forces ! $"U

Then the work energy theorem becomes

WNon _ Conservative _ Forces $ "U ! "K

WNon _ Conservative _ Forces ! "K # "U
This leads to the concept of the conservation of mechanical energy.
If there is no non-conservative force in the system, WNon _ Conservative _ Forces ! 0
and 0 ! "K # "U .

In the absence of dissipative forces in a mechanical system, the mechanical energy Emech= K + U
is a constant. For example, Emech in time t = tinitial is the same as Emech at time t = tfinal.
The work energy theorem gives the result

"Emech ! "K # "U ! 0

In an isolated system where only conservative forces cause energy to be transformed, the
mechanical energy of the system is constant.
If no non-conservative forces are acting in a system, then 0 ! "K # "U

When there are forces such as friction present, we can still include these forces and conserve
total energy taking into account the heat generated as a result of work of dissipative forces such
as friction.

!!" !"

For Friction, Wnc " f k # d " $!k Nd

This work takes away mechanical energy and transfers this detracted amount into heat.
From the work energy theorem,
$ ! k Nd " %K & %U
0 " %K & %U & ! k Nd
0 " %Emech & %Ethermal

Thermal energy is one of the forms of non-mechanical internal energy stored inside of the bodies.
Internal energy will be covered in the following units of the course. The conservation of energy
with inclusion of internal energy becomes
0 " %Emech & %Eint

If there are external forces applied to an isolated system as a whole then, the work energy
theorem is

!!!" !"
Fext # d " %Emech & %Eint
or,

WFext " %ETotal

All of this can by summed up in the following equation:

Total final
Total initial
Any losses due to
=
+ Any work done mechanical energy
mechanical energy
nonconservative forces
or
K f & U f " K i & U i & Wapp $ Wloss

Power
Power is the rate (how fast) at which work is done.
Power !

P!

Work Done
.
Time Spent Performing Work

W
t

The unit of power is the "Watt," which is equal to a Joule/second. The "horsepower" is the English
system unit of power; it is equal to 746 W.

Conservation of Energy and Power

1. An electrical motor lifts a 575 N box 20 m straight up by a rope in 10 s. What power is
developed by the motor?
F = 575 N the amount of force the rope must apply to the object to lift it up at constant velocity is
equal to the objects weight
W
F = 575 N
P!
t
d = 20 m
W !Fd
Fd
t
(575 N)(20 m)
P!
! 1.15 " 103 W
10s
P!

t = 10 s
P=?

2. A block slides down a frictionless inclined plane of height h = 1 m, making angle # with the
horizontal. At the bottom of the plane, the block continues to move on a flat surface with a
coefficient of friction $ = 0.30. How far does the mass move on the flat surface?
We apply the law of Conservation of energy. The equation is
%E ! % K & % U
The velocity of the block is zero both in the beginning and the end. Thus, %K ! 0
We also have
%E ! W friction ! ' $ k m g d
The change in GPE is
%U ! 'mgh
Putting it all together
%E ! %K & %U

' $k m g d ! ' mgh

d!

$k

1m
! 3.3m
0.30

3. A cyclist approaches the bottom of a hill at a speed of 11 m/s. The hill is 6 m high. Ignoring
friction, how fast is the cyclist moving at the top of the hill? Assume that he doesnt peddle and
ignore air resistance.
Since there is no friction, the total mechanical energy is conserved. Thus,
%U & %K ! 0 .
%U ! mgh ' 0 ! mgh and %K ! 12 mv 2f ' 12 mvi2 ,
Substitute these into the energy conservation equation
mgh & 12 mv 2f ' 12 mvi2 ! 0

v 2f ! vi2 ' 2 gh
Thus, v f ! vi2 ' 2 gh ! (11m/s)2 ' 2 (9.81m/s2 )(6 m) =

3.28m 2 /s 2 ! 1.81m/s .

4. A 100 kg mass traveling with a velocity of 15 m/s on a horizontal surface strikes a spring with a
spring constant k = 5 N/m.
a. Find the compression of the spring required to stop the mass if the surface is frictionless.
Since there is no dissipative force, we will use the Law of Conservation of Energy.
!U " !K # 0 .
!U # 12 kx 2 $ 0 # 12 kx 2

!K # 0 $ 12 mv 2 # $ 12 mv 2
1
2

kx 2 $ 12 mv 2 # 0

Solve for x:
x#

m
v
k

x#

100 kg
(15 m/s) # 67.1m
5 N/m

b. Find the compression of the spring if the surface is rough ( %k # 0.4 0).
The more general form of the equation including nonconservative forces is
!E # ! U " ! K
! !
!E # F & d # $ %k m g x

!U # 12 kx 2 and !K # $ 12 mv 2
Putting it all together we get:

$ %k m g x # 12 kx 2 $ 12 mv 2
where

$ % k m g x # $0.40(100 kg)(9.81 m/s 2 ) x # ($392.4 N) x

and

1
2

kx 2 # 12 (5 N/m) x 2 # (2.5 N/m) x 2

and

1
2

mv 2 # 12 (100 kg)(15 m/s)2 # 11250N

Simplifying (and leaving off the units to make the quadratic equation easier to read)
$392.4 x # 2.5 x 2 $ 11250
In standard form this quadratic equation becomes
2.5 x 2 " 392.4 x $ 11250 # 0
Solving by the quadratic formula we obtain
x # 24.8 m or x # $ 182 m
The physical solution here is positive. Thus, x = 25 m.

5. An amusement park roller coaster car has a mass of 250 kg. During the ride, it is towed to the
top of a 30 m hill, where it is released from rest and allowed to roll. The car plunges down the hill,
then up a 10 m hill and through a loop with a radius of 10 m. Assume that the tracks are
frictionless. (Use g = 10 m/s2.)
a. What is the Potential Energy of the car at the top of the 30 m hill?
GPETop of Hill # m g h
#

! 250 kg " !10 m/s 2 " ! 30 m "

# 75000 J

b. What are the Kinetic Energy and the speed of the car at the bottom of the 30 m hill?
GPETop of Hill # ETot # KEBottom of Hill # 75000 J
1
m v2
2
2 KE
2 (75000 J)
#
#
m
250 kg

KEBottom of Hill #
v #

600 m 2 /s 2 # 24 m/s

c. What are the Kinetic Energy and the speed of the car at the top of the 10 m hill?

GPE10 m # m g h #

! 250 kg " !10

m/s 2 " !10 m " # 25000 J

GPE10 m $ KE10 m # ETot # 75000 J

KE10 m # ETot % GPE10 m # 75000 J % 25000 J # 50000 J
v10 m #

2 KE
#
m

2 (50000 J)
#
250 kg

400 m 2 /s 2 # 20 m/s

d. If the hill makes an angle of 60o with the horizontal and the car takes 15 seconds to be towed
up the hill, determine the length of the hill, the velocity of the car, the force required to tow the car
up the hill, and the power of the motor pulling the car up the hill.
30 m # L(sin 60o )
30 m
L#
# 34.64 m
sin 60o
F|| # Wt & sin 60o
(2500 N)( sin 60o ) # 2165 N = 2200 N
v#

L 34.64 m
#
# 2.31m/s = 2.3m/s
't
15s

P#

Work Done 75000 J

#
# 5000 J/s # 5000 W
't
15s

or
P # F v = (m g)(sin 60! )(v)=(250 kg)(10 m/s2 )(sin 60! )(2.31 m/s)
= (2165 N) ! 2.31m/s " # 5001J/s # 5.0 kW