Work and Energy 1

11. WORK AND ENERGY

Q.1 What are the two conditions need to be satisfied for work to be done?
Ans - Two conditions need to be satisfied for work to be done:
i. A force should act on an object.
ii. The object must be displaced.

 Work done by a constant force :

Let a constant force, F act on an object. Let the object be displaced through
a distance, s in the direction of the force. Let W be the work done. We
define work to be equal to the product of the force and displacement.
Work done = force × displacement
W=Fs
1J=1N×1m
 Work done:
Work done by force acting on an object is equal to the magnitude of the
force multiplied by the distance moved in the direction of the force. Work
has only magnitude and no direction. The SI unit of work is Newton metre
(N m) or joule (J).
 1 joule of work done:
1 J of work done is the amount of work done on an object when a force of 1
N displaces it by 1 m along the line of action of the force.
- Work done is positive when the force is in the direction of displacement.
- Work done is zero when the force is perpendicular to the direction of
displacement.
- Work done is negative when the force acts opposite to the direction of
displacement.
 Energy- An object having a capability or capacity to do work is said to
possess energy. The unit is joule (J). 1J is the energy required to do 1
joule of work.
1kJ=1000J (larger unit)
- The object which does the work loses energy and the object on which
the work is done gains energy.
- Energy is transferred from one form to another form.
 Kinetic energy-
Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion.
- An object of mass m moving with velocity v has a kinetic energy of 1/2mv2
 Potential energy-
The energy transferred to an object is stored as potential energy if it is not
used to cause a change in the velocity or speed of the object.

Tara notes
2018-19
 Work and Energy 2

The gravitational potential energy of an object of mass, m raised through a

height, h from the earth’s surface is given by mgh.
- Examples are energy transferred to the band or spring by us when
stretching it, or the energy transferred while winding the key of a toy car.
- Work done by gravity depends on the difference in vertical heights of
the initial and final positions of the object and not on the path along which
the object is moved.
 Law of conservation of energy-
- Energy can only be converted (transformed) from one form to another;
it can neither be created nor destroyed. The total energy before and
after the transformation remains the same.(constant)
 When an object is freely falling from a height h
 At the start, the potential energy is mgh and kinetic energy is zero (since
velocity is zero)
 In the middle state, the potential energy (mgh) will change into kinetic
energy (1/2mv2)
 When h=0 and v will be highest, then kinetic energy would be the largest
and potential energy the least.
PE+KE=constant

 Mechanical energy:
The sum of kinetic energy and potential energy of an object is its total
mechanical energy.
 Power-
Power is defined as the rate of doing work or the rate of transfer of
energy. (The speed of work done).
POWER=WORK/TIME
P=W/T
 WATT=1 watt is the power of an agent, which does work at the rate
of 1 joule per second.
1 watt=1 joule/second
1W=1J/s
1kW=1000watts=1000W
1 unit=1kWh=1kWx1h=3.6x106J

Tara notes
2018-19