In our daily lives, the word work it is related to some activity or service performed by an individual that requires or does not require physical effort. In Physics, this term is related to the energy transferred through the application of a force that is capable of generating displacement.
Imagine you need to push a car that has broken down. When exerting force on the vehicle, it acquires kinetic energy. Therefore, we understand that the energy that manifests has been transferred to the vehicle through the application of a force, therefore, we say that a work has been done. Work can be understood as the energy that was used in carrying out an activity.
Ways of determining work (w):
1.1 Work can be determined by the product of the force placed on an object and the displacement generated by that force, so that:
w = FR.d
W it is the work of a force, defined in Joules;
FR is the resultant force applied to the body;
d is the displacement made by the body while force F was being applied to it.
1.2 Work can be determined by the area below the line of a force and displacement graph. We say the work is numerically equal to the area of the graph F x d.
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1.3 The determination of work can be done by the work theorem and kinetic energy (EÇ). In this theorem, the change in kinetic energy is exactly equal to the amount of work done on a body.
w = ΔEÇ
1.4 If the work is the result of the performance of the strength weight (given by the product of mass and gravity), its determination will be made through the following equation:
w = m.g.h
m is the body mass (in kg);
g is the value of gravity acceleration (9.8 m/sec2);
H is the drop height of the object.
1.5 The work performed by a elastic force it is determined by the elastic potential energy stored in the spring due to its deformation. Therefore, the energy stored in the spring that is released when it is released can be given by:
w = ½ K.XFINAL2 - ½ K.XINITIAL2
K is the spring constant;
X is the deformation suffered by the elastic object.
Unit of measurement:
As work designates quantity of energy, its unit of measure, according to International System of Units (SI), is the joule (J).
By Joab Silas
Graduated in Physics
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
JUNIOR, Joab Silas da Silva. "What is work?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/fisica/o-que-e-trabalho.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
