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Work Energy and Power

The document discusses different types of energy including kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and power. It defines key terms like work, force, and efficiency. Equations are provided for calculating work, power, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and efficiency. Examples of energy transformations between kinetic and potential energy are also described.

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ernest3emmanuel3
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30 views

Work Energy and Power

The document discusses different types of energy including kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and power. It defines key terms like work, force, and efficiency. Equations are provided for calculating work, power, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and efficiency. Examples of energy transformations between kinetic and potential energy are also described.

Uploaded by

ernest3emmanuel3
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Work, Energy and Power

Energy
We already know that it appears in a number of different forms and may be transformed from one form to
another. But what is energy? Energy is the ability to do work.
We can say that the work done is equal to the energy transferred
Work done = energy transferred W =E

Work Done
In Physics we say that work is done when a force moves through a distance and established the equation
Work Done = Force x Distance moved in the direction of the force W = Fs
Work Done is measured in Joules, J
Force is measured in Newtons, N
Distance is measured in metres, m
The distance moved is not always in the direction of the force. In the diagram we can see that the block moves
in a direction that is  away from the ‘line of action’ of the force. To calculate the work done we must calculate
the distance we move in the direction of the force or the size of the force in the direction of the distance
moved. Both of these are calculated by resolving into horizontal and vertical components.
Work Done = Force x Distance moved in the direction of the force
Work Done = Size of Force in the direction of movement x Distance moved
Work Done = Fs cos

→ or
Power
Power is a measure of how quickly something can transfer energy. Power is linked to energy by the equation:
EnergyTransferred E
Power = P=
timetaken t

Power is measured in Watts, W


Energy is measured in Joules, J
Time is measured in seconds, s
But Work Done = Energy Transferred so we can say that power is a measure of how quickly
work can be done.
WorkDone W
Power = P=
timetaken t
Now that we can calculate Work Done we can derive another equation for calculating power:
W Fs
We can substitute W = Fs into P = to become P = this can be separated into
t t
s
P=F .
t
s
= v so we can write P = Fv
t
Velocity is measured in metres per second, m/s or ms-1
Efficiency
We already know that the efficiency of a device is a measure of how much of the energy we put
in is wasted.
Efficiency = useful energy transferred by the device this will give us a number
less than 1
total energy supplied to the device
Useful energy means the energy transferred for a purpose, the energy transferred into the
desired form.
Since power is calculated from energy we can express efficiency as:
Efficiency = useful output power of the device again this will give us a
number less than 1
input power to the device
To calculate the efficiency as a percentage use the following:
percentage efficiency = efficiency x 100%

Energy Transformations
We already know that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one type
to another and transferred from one thing to another. Eg a speaker transforms electrical energy
to sound energy with the energy itself is being transferred to the surroundings.
An isolated (or closed) system means an energy transformation is occurring where none of the
energy is lost to the surroundings. In reality all transformations/transfers are not isolated, and
all of them waste energy to the surroundings.

Kinetic Energy
Kinetic energy is the energy a moving object has. Let us consider a car that accelerates from
being stationary (u=0) to travelling at a velocity v when a force, F, is applied.
v
The time it takes to reach this velocity is give by v = u + at → v = at → t =
a
v
The distance moved in this time is given by s = 12 (u + v)t → s = 12 (v )t → s = 12 (v) →
a
v2
s= 1
2
a
Energy transferred = Work Done, Work Done = Force x distance moved and Force = mass x
acceleration
v2
E = W → E = Fs → E = mas → E = ma 12 E K = 12 mv 2
a
Velocity is measured in metres per second, m/s
Mass is measured in kilograms, kg
Kinetic Energy is measured in Joules, J
Gravitational Potential Energy
This type of potential (stored) energy is due to the position of an object. If an object of mass m
is lifted at a constant speed by a height of h we can say that the acceleration is zero. Since F=ma
we can also say that the overall force is zero, this means that the lifting force is equal to the
weight of the object → F=mg
We can now calculate the work done in lifting the object through a height, h.
WD = Fs → WD = (mg )h → WD = mgh
Since work done = energy transferred EP = mgh
Height is a measure of distance which is measured in metres, m
Gravitational Potential Energy is measured in Joules, J
Work Done against….
In many situations gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, or vice versa.
Some everyday examples of this are:
Swings and pendulums If we pull a pendulum back we give it GPE, when it is released it falls, losing
its GPE but speeding up and gaining KE. When it passes the lowest point of the swing it begins
to rise (gaining GPE) and slow down (losing KE).
Bouncing or throwing a ball Holding a ball in the air gives it GPE, when we release this it
transforms this into KE. As it rises it loses KE and gains GPE.
Slides and ramps A ball at the top of a slide will have GPE. When it reaches the bottom of the slide
it has lost all its GPE, but gained KE.

In each of these cases it appears as though we have lost energy. The pendulum doesn’t swing
back to its original height and the ball never bounces to the height it was released from. This is
because work is being done against resistive forces.
The swing has to overcome air resistance whilst moving and the friction from the top support.
The ball transforms some energy into sound and overcoming the air resistance.
Travelling down a slide transforms energy into heat due to friction and air resistance

The total energy before a transformation = The total energy after a transformation

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