Abstract

Work, energy, and power is applied in civil engineering with the use of varying power tools
needed for construction work. The Caterpillar D11 Bulldozer boasts a 936hp or
approximately 698kW in power. Primarily designed as a bulldozer, it is also used for push-
loading scrapers, and ripping rock overburden.
Kinetic and Potential energy is everywhere in civil engineering. From a hammers draw,
preparing to strike a nail into converting potential energy from a certain height or distance to
kinetic energy. Velocity plays a role in the intensity of a force. Intuitively, fast moving
particles possess greater kinetic energy. Mathematically, if we increase velocity (v), KE
increases by a power of two.
Work is defined as force multiplied by its displacement. A power tool called a road roller
delivers work through a displacement in flattening asphalt/concrete pavement (PCCPs) for
an even surface finish. It is force driving the heavy cylindrical roller along a new road made
by the DPWH through a distance x.
Introduction

If you accelerate an object to a greater speed by applying a force to the object, you increase
the kinetic energy K, of the object. Similarly, if you decelerate the object to a lesser speed by
applying a force, you decrease the kinetic energy of the object. We account for these changes
in kinetic energy by saying that your force has transferred energy to the object from yourself
or from the object done to yourself. In such a transfer of energy via a force, work W, is said
to be done on the object by the force. More formally, we define work as the energy
transferred to or from an object by means of a force acting on the object. Energy transferred
to the object is positive work, and energy transfered from the object is negative work.

Energy is the property of body which has the capability to do work. It has several forms. One
of which is the mechanical energy due to motion called the kinetic energy and the other one
due to position or configuration called potential energy U = mgDh. If it is due to position of
a body or height, it is called gravitational potential energy while elastic potential energy if it
is due to configuration like that of a stretched spring.

Kinetic energy K is energy associated with the state of motion of an object. The faster the
object moves, the greater is its kinetic energy. When the object is stationary, its kinetic
energy is zero. For an object of mass m whose speed is v is well below the speed of light, K =
mv2.

The time rate at which work is done by a force is said to be the power due to the force. If a
force does an amount of work W in an amount of time t, the average power due to the force is

Pavg = W/t

The instantaneous power P is the instanteneous time rate of doing work, which we can write
as

Pinst = dP/dt
Methodology

Part 1

1. Set the fan cart on a leveled track (check and adjust level with the tracks built in
adjustment screw. Attach a string to the fan at one end and at the pan on its end. The
string should pass over a small, frictionless pulley.
2. Power the fan cart and observed in which direction does it move depending on the
orientation of the fan carts blades. It can be set to low or high setting as preferred.
The fan cart should move away from where the pan is.
3. While the fan is running, put some weight on the pan and adjust the value until the
total weight on the pan balances the force exerted by the fan cart (a = 0, constant
velocity) Record the reading as the force F of the fan cart.
4. Place the fan cart at one end of the track and determine how long would it take to
cover a certain distance using the photogates or a timer. Perform several trials varying
the distance. Note that the pan is no longer attached to the fan cart by the string.
5. In each case, solve for the work, and average power of the fan cart.

Part 2

1. Attach a mass at the end of a string tied to an iron stand. Record the initial height ho of
mass.
2. Slowly pull the mass by applying a horizontal force F on the mass. Measure the final
height hf of the mass and record the horizontal force F as read by the spring balance.
3. Repeat trials increasing the height until the string L is horizontal. Be careful to apply
the horizontal force F barely enough to raise the height. Do not put unnecessary force
to raise the spring balance. In each trial, compute for the work done by the force F
using the equation W = wL(1-cos )
4. Compute for the increase in the gravitational potential energy of the mass for each
trial.
Results and Discussion

The first part of the experiment is to calculate the work/power output of the fan cart. We used
a dynamics track, smart timer with photogates, stringed pan with varying loads, and the fan
cart, as provided by the laboratory. Upon setting the dynamics track, we made sure that it is in
zero degrees so that we minimize errors. Determining the initial force exerted by the fan cart
was done through trial and error. We assumed that the track is frictionless free from obstacles
or any other foreign entity that could alter or oppose the carts movement. We put a string
attached with a pan and a certain load at the end of the fan cart so that it can barely move.
Therefore, we achieve a nearly balanced force push and pulling force are ideally equal.

Work is defined as a function of force multiplied by its displacement. To determine force, we

allowed the fan cart to travel a specific displacement using two photogates, serving as initial
and final displacement checkpoints. Time is measured using our smart timer. We should make
sure that before releasing the fan cart on the track, it should already be placed along the track
and released to avoid error and thus, maximizing the fans propulsion. The force exerted by the
fan cart is equal to the sum of pan weight + weight added. We attained a force of 5.8006N. Our
data shows that we obtained 0.5800J, 1.5661J, 4.6405J, and 5.8006J. This shows that the cart
does an average work of 1.6967J. Power is known as a rate which work is done. This means
that we relate work done per a certain time period. Data shows that we got 0.8910W, 1.0592W,
1.6573W, and 1.8711W. We can say that the average power the cart exerts is 1.3694W.

The second part of the experiment, we determine the work done on a curved path. This is done
using an hanging mass stringed to an iron stand at a specific length, with a varying angle. The
hanging mass looks like an small bottle-like, LPG tank-looking, solid piece of iron weight. Its
initial and final height upon at rest and inclination are recorded with a corresponding force
using a spring balance, respectively. Again, four (4) trials were alloted for precision and
accuracy. GPE (Gravitational Potential Energy) exhibited by the hanging mass, as well as
forces in the x-direction (horizontal) are computed. We used a string length (L) of 34.5cm or
0.345m. Angles of inclination were 30, 45, 60, and 75. Referring to our data, the data used on
the derived and GPE formulas are close to each other in value. Wexpt = 0.423J and WGPE =
0.459 with a 0.036J discrepancy, scoring a 7.84% error.
Answers to Guide Questions

Part 1

1. In part 1, should the work done be increasing every trial? Explain.

ANS: Work should increase in every trial because the given displacements change
incrementally. By math, work exhibits a directly proportional relationship with
displacement as well as force. Intuitively, a force does more work or is a more
effective motivator when it is to displace something further.
2. In part 1, should the power expended be increasing every trial? Explain.
ANS: In our experiment, power expended in every trial showed an increasing
trend (shown in the graph) because displacement and time also increases fairly
proportional upon constant output. Scaling the displacement while holding force
constant affects work output. And time divides how much work something does
over a given interval. More power means doing more work in less time.

Part 2

1. In figure 6, why is it incorrect to calculate the work done by multiplying the spring
balance reading F and the horizontal displacement x?
ANS: The reason why it calculating work done by the spring balance in the
horizontal x-direction is that anything multiplied by sin0 or sin180, becomes
zero. Therefore, it cancels the forces we are solving for. Sine function is known
to be used in forces in the y-direction with 90 and 270 alignment.
Graphs

Displacement (x) and Work (y) Plot

7

6
5.8006

5
4.6405
4

2
1.5661
1
0.58
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2

0.9
Gravitational Potential Energy (y) and H plot (x)
0.8 0.7938

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4
0.3528
0.3 0.294

0.2

0.1 0.1029

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
Conclusion

This experiment tells us how to determine the work and power exerted of a moving object on
a dynamic track for measuring displacement, smart timer and photogates for measuring initial
and final time accurately, on a corresponding calibrated weights + its pan. Work, in physics, is
how much displacement can a certain force do. Or conversely, how much force is needed to
move an object at a specific displacement. Because it can be either Fdcos(angle) or
dFcos(angle). Research shows that work is proportional with displacement. Multiplying the
displacement by a scalar also increases force by its multiple.We can also say that something is
bound to do maximum work when the force exerted is parallel to the displacements path.

Power is said the be the rate of which work is done. This is simply work divided by time. We
measure power in terms of watts a unit that one commonly hears as a measure in electrical
consumption during power reading conducted by electricians of a local power company. It is
also a measure of the potency of work. We can tell that something is powerful when it can do
work fast and effectively without too much struggling force. Power exerted by a projectile, is
bound to do its maximum, when the force is also parallel to the path of its displacement. A
fired gun, for example. The bullet achieves its maximum piercing power at its effective range
(displacement). Anything beyond that decreases its destructive potency as the bullets begin to
drop due to gravity, therefore deviating from its aimed trajectory.

Gravitational potential energy, is said to be mgh, where m stands for mass, g as 9.81m/s^2
(acceleration due to gravity), and h is a height which an object rests. Weight is defined as a
force exerted by a mass with gravitational acceleration, m*g. Therefore, we can state that GPE
is valued on how much energy it is about to release upon its height and weight. Take an regular
knife and a butchers knife that are both tested to be qualified on the experiment for example.
Say that, they are both of the same edge sharpness. Both are dropped to slice some object at a
same height. The butchers knife is bound to do more slicing because it is heavier, though it
has the same sharpness and dropped height. The formula states that mass and height are variable
but g is constant. The total work done by an object is the change of potential energy, or vice
versa. (DKE=DPE).
Recommendations

Possible source of error in Table 1 can be due to uneven level of the dynamics track, thus,
altering the work output by fan cart with unwanted influence of gravity. Another is the
incorrect or lousy use of the smart timer and its photogates. Photogates can give erroneous
readings if they are not set perpendicular to the dynamics track. Also, we have to make sure
that the fans propulsion is at a zero mark. Deviation to the zero mark can steer the cart
sideways if its force is not parallel with its rolling direction. Hence, resulting to unwanted
changes in kinetic energy, affecting work along with its displacement.
In Table 2, source of error includes inaccurate readings on the protractor, setting a 90-
degree angle on a y-directional analysis (Forces along y). Forces along x when attached
with a sine function and filled in with 0 and 180, cancels the force out on becoming zero in
value. Another error source we observed when the spring balanced is pulled too hard, it
gives an erroneous reading. Applying excess pull adds extra weight. Thus, giving off
inaccurate results.
References

Halliday, D., Resnick, R., & Walker, J. (2014). Principles of Physics 10th ed. Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley.

Work, Energy, and Power. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2017, from
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/energy
Appendix

Computations
Table 1: Determining the Force, Work, and Power of the Fan cart.
Trial 1 Trial 2
s = 0.1m, t = 0.651s s = 0.27m, t=1.48s
W = (F)(S) W = (F)(S)
= (5.8006N)(0.1m) = (5.8006N)(0.27m)
= 0.5800J = 1.5661J
W W
P= P=
t t
0.5800J 1.5661J
= =
0.651s 1.48s

= 0.8910W = 1.0582W

Trial 3 Trial 4
s = 0.80m, t = 2.8s s = 1.00m, t=3.1s
W = (F)(S) W = (F)(S)
= (5.8006)(0.5m) = (5.8006N)(1.00m)
= 4.6405J = 5.8006J
W W
P= P=
t t
4.6405J 5.8006J
= =
2.8s 3.1s

= 1.6573W = 1.8711W
Table 2: Work by a force on a Curved Path.
Trial 1 Trial 2
= 30 = 45
W = wL(1-cos ) W = wL(1-cos )
= (2.94)(0.345)(1-cos30) = (2.94)(0.345)(1-cos30)
= 0.1359J = 0.4234J

GPE = mgh GPE = mgh

= (0.3)(9.8)(0.035) = (0.3)(9.8)(0.1)
= 0.3969J = 0.2940J

Trial 3 Trial 4
= 60 = 75
W = wL(1-cos ) W = wL(1-cos )
= (2.94)(0.345)(1-cos60) = (2.94)(0.345)(1-cos75)
= 0.5072J = 0.7518J

GPE = mgh GPE = mgh

= (0.3)(9.8)(0.12) = (0.3)(9.8)(0.27)
= 0.3528J = 0.7938J