Physics POGIL: Working and Power We can think of the energy of a system as its capability to produce change.

To explain why some systems transfer their energy, we will need a quantity called working. When two objects exert forces on each other as they move, we say that those objects are working on each other and they will change how they store energy. In this POGIL we will investigate the concept of working and look at power, the rate at which a force is working. Working In the example below, four forces are working on a wagon as the person pushes it 10 m to the right. Each of these forces is constant with time.

support force = 500 N persons push = 20 N friction = 15 N 10 m

gravity = 500 N
The amount of working done by each force can be found according to the following guidelines. If the force is exerted in the same direction as the motion then the working done by the force is +(Force distance). If the force is exerted in the opposite direction of the motion then the working done by the force is (Force distance). If the force is exerted perpendicular to the direction of motion then the force does zero working.

If the force is in Newtons and the distance is in meters, then the unit of working is the Newton-meter (N-m). We call this unit of measurement a Joule, abbreviated J. Below are calculations for the working done by each of the four forces acting on the wagon above. Working done by the persons push = (20 N) (10 m) = 200 N-m = 200 J Working done by friction = (15 N) (10 m) = 150 N-m = 150 J Working done by gravity = 0 J Working done by the support force = 0 J

1. Each of the diagrams below show several people exerting forces on some boxes and the distance the boxes move. For each one, calculate the working done by each force on the box. Assume the boxes are in free space and there is no friction. (a)

15 N

working done by the 35 N force = working done by the 15 N force =

35 N 10 m

Physics (b)

5m 9N

working done by 9 N force = working done by 2 N force =

2N

(c)

2N 7N 5N 25 m working done by 7 N force = working done by 5 N force = working done by 2 N force =

(d)

10 N

30 m

working done by 10 N force = working done by 6 N force = working done by 4 N force =

4N 6N

8N
(e)

working done by 9 N force = working done by top 8 N force = 9N 2N 50 m 8N working done by bottom 8 N force = working done by 2 N force =

2. Calculate the total working done on each box in question 1.

Physics 3. If a force is in the same direction as an object's motion: (a) does the force do a positive, negative, or zero amount of working?

(b) does the force tend speed up the object, slow down the object, or neither?

4. If a force is in the opposite direction of an object's motion: (a) does the force do a positive, negative, or zero amount of working?

(b) does the force tend speed up the object, slow down the object, or neither?

5. If a force is perpendicular to an object's motion: (a) does the force do a positive, negative, or zero amount of working?

(b) does the force tend to speed up the object, slow down the object, or neither?

Power Power is the rate of working. The average rate of power can be found by dividing the amount of working by the time it took. If working is measured in Joules and the time is measured in seconds, then the unit of power is Joules per second (J/s). We call this unit a Watt (abbreviated W). Suppose in the example of the cart in the previous section, the cart moves 10 m with the forces shown in 20 s. The power of each of the four forces is: power of the persons push = 200 J/20 s = 10 J/s = 10 W power of friction = 150 J/20 s = 7.5 J/s = 7.5 W power of gravity = 0 W power of the support force = 0 W

6. Calculate the average power of the forces in question #1, parts (a) and (b), given the times for each motion listed below. Include the correct units. (a) time for motion = 30 s i. average power of the 35 N force =

ii. average power of the 15 N force =

(b) time for motion = 20 s i. average power of the 9 N force =

ii. average power of the 2 N force =

Physics 7. The average power of a horse is approximately 746 W. How much working can a horse do in 600 s?

8. The power of the engine in a compact car is approximately 100,000 W. How much working does the engine do during an hour of driving?

Problem Solving 9. In the diagram below are four forces that are acting on an airplane as it moves 500 m to the left in one minute.

lift = 10,000 N

thrust = 3000 N 500 m gravity = 10,000 N

air resistance = 1800 N

Calculate the working done by each of the four forces shown in the diagram. Include the correct units. (a) working done by air resistance =

(b) working done by the thrust =

(c) working done by gravity =

(d) working done by lift =

10. What is the total working done on the airplane in question 9?

11. Calculate the average power of each of the four forces in question 9. Include the correct units. (a) average power of air resistance =

(b) average power of thrust =

(c) average power of gravity =

(d) average power of lift =