Kinetic Energy and Work

Session - 10

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One definition:
Energy is a scalar quantity associated with the state
(or condition) of one or more objects.
Some characteristics:
1. Energy can be transformed from one type to another
and transferred from one object to another,
2. The total amount of energy is always the same
(energy is conserved).

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K = mV 2 (kinetic energy)
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The SI unit of kinetic energy (and every other type of
energy) is the joule (J),
1 joule = 1 J = 1 kgm2/s2.
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 1. Kinetic energy

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.
For an object of mass m whose speed v is well below the
speed of light,

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 2. Work

Work W is 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 transferred from the object is negative work.

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To calculate the work a force
→

F does on an object as
the object moves through
some displacement d, we use
only the force component
along the object’s
displacement. The force
component perpendicular to
the displacement direction A constant force directed at
does zero work. angle φ to the displacement
→ (in the x-direction) of a bead
For a constant force F does work on the bead. The
the work done W is: only component of force
taken into account here is
→ →
the x-component.
W = F .d = F.d Cosφ
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When two or more forces act on an object, the net
work done on the object is the sum of the works
done by the individual forces.

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 3. Work and kinetic energy

Work-kinetic energy theorem

The theorem says that the change in kinetic energy of a
particle is the net work done on the particle.

⎛ change in the kinetic ⎞ ⎛ net work done ⎞

⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ = ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ energy of a particle ⎠ ⎝ on the particle ⎠
It holds for both positive and negative work: If the net
work done on a particle is positive, then the
particle’s kinetic energy increases by the amount of
the work, and the converse is also true.

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 4. Work done by gravitational force
Wg = mgd Cosφ (work done by gravitational force)

(a) An applied force lifts an (b) An applied force lowers an

object. The object’s
displacement makes an angle φ
=180° with the gravitational
force on the object. The applied
force does positive work on the
object.
object. The displacement of the
object makes an angle with the
gravitational force .The applied
force does negative work on the
object.
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 5. Work done by a spring force
Work done by a spring force
Hooke’s Law: To a good approximation for many
springs, the force from a spring is proportional to the
displacement of the free end from its position when the
spring is in the relaxed state. The spring force is given
by
Fs = −kx
The minus sign indicates that the direction of the spring
force is always opposite the direction of the
displacement of the spring’s free end.
The constant k is called the spring constant (or force
constant) and is a measure of the stiffness of the spring.

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The net work Ws done by a spring, when it has a distortion
from xi to xf , is:
Xf Xf
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WS = ∫ FSdx = ∫ (−kx dx) = (- k)(xf2 − x i2 )
X X
2
i i
1 1
⇒ WS = k xi − k x f2
2
(work by a spring force)
2 2
Work Ws is positive if the block ends up closer to the
relaxed position (x =0) than it was initially.
It is negative if the block ends up farther away from x =0.
It is zero if the block ends up at the same distance from x=
0.

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An elevator cab of mass m=500 kg is
descending with speed vi = 4.0 m/s
when its supporting cable begins to
slip, allowing it to fall with constant
acceleration a = g/5 .
(a) During the fall through a distance
d=12 m, what is the work Wg done
on the cab by gravitational force Fg
(b) During 12 m fall, what is the work
WT done on the cab by upward pull
T of the elevator cable?
(c) What is the net work W done on
the
cab during the fall?
(d) What is the cab’s kinetic energy at
the end the 12 m fall? 11
 6. Work done by a general
variable force
A. One-dimensional force, graphical analysis:
• We can divide the area
under the curve of F(x) into
a number of narrow strips
of width Δx.
We choose Δx small
enough to permit us to take
the force F(x) as being
reasonably constant over
that interval.
• We let Fj,avg be the average
value of F(x) within the jth
interval.

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The work done by the force in the jthinterval is approximately :
ΔW j = F j ,avg Δx
⇒ W = ∑ ΔW j = ∑ F j ,avg Δx
• Wj is then equal to the area of the
jth rectangular, shaded strip
We can make the approximation
better by reducing the strip width
Δx and using more strips (Fig. c). In
the limit, the strip width approaches
zero, the number of strips then
becomes infinitely large and we
have, as an exact result,
xf
ΔW = lim ∑ Fj ,avg Δx = ∫x F( x )dx
Δx→0 i

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B. Three dimensional force:
!
If F = Fx î + Fy ĵ + F z k̂
!
and d r = dx î + dyĵ + dzk̂
! !
Then : dW = F.d r = F dx + F dy + F dz
rf xf yf zf

Finally : W = ∫ dW = ∫x F dx + y∫ F dy + z∫ F dz
x y z
ri i i i

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Work Kinetic Energy Theorem With a Variable Force
A particle of mass m is moving along an x axis and acted
on by a net force F(x) that is directed along that axis.
The work done on the particle by this force as the particle
moves from position xi to position xf is :
xf xf
dv dv dx dv
W = ∫ Fx dx = ∫ ma dx ; but : a = = = v
x x dt dx dt dx
i i
vf vf
1 2 1 2
Therefore : W = ∫ mv dv = m ∫ v dv = mv − mv
vi vi 2 f 2 i

Then : W = ΔK
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 Sample problem: work from 2-D integration:
!
Force : F = (3 x 2 N)î + (4 N)ĵ
with x in meters, acts on a particle, changing only the
kinetic energy of the particle.
How much work work is done on the particle as it
moves from coordinates (2 m,3 m) to ( 3 m, 0)? Does
the speed of the particle increase, decrease, or remain
constant?

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 7. Power
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 during that time
interval is Pavg = W/∆t (average power )

The instantaneous power P is the instantaneous time rate

of doing work, which we can write as":
P= dW/dt (instantaneous power)
The SI unit of power : joule / second=Watt (J/S= W).
The British system: footpound per second (ft.lb/s).
Often the horsepower is used.
1 watt = 1 W = 1 J/s =0,738 ft.lb/s
1 horsepower = 1 hp = 550 ft.lb/s =746 W

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Sample problem: work from 2-D integration:
!
Force : F = (3 x 2 N)î + (4 N)ĵ
With x in meters, acts on a particle, changing only the
kinetic energy of the particle.
How much work is done on the particle as it moves from
coordinates (2 m, 3 m) to (3 m, 0). Does the speed of the
particle increase, decrease, or remain the same.

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 ! !
⇒ P = F.V (instantaneous Power)

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Sample problem: power, force, velocity:

The constant forces F1 and F2 acting on a box as the box

slides rightward across a frictionless floor. Force F1 is
horizontal, with magnitude 2.0 N; force F2 is angled upward
by 60° to the floor and has magnitude 4.0 N.
he speed v of the box at a certain instant is 3.0 m/s.
What is the power due to each force acting on the box at
that instant, and what is the net power?
Is the net power changing at that instant?

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Reference.
Halliday D.; Resniick R. and Walker J. (2010). Principles Of
Physics, Extended, ninth Edition , John Wiley & SONS Inc, New
York, ISBN: 978-0-470-894187

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