Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P.

GUILALAS, LPT

Laboratory Exercise No. 1

WORK

Materials
String (approx. 2m long)
Book
Spring scale

When lifting crates, or any other object, we do more when the object is heavier. The task is even harder if it must be
lifted higher. Therefore, we define work as the product of the force exerted on an object and the distance the object in the
direction of the force. In equation form,
W=F x d
Where W is the work, F is the magnitude of the force, and d is the magnitude of the displacement. The unit of work
is Newton x meter (N.m) or Joule (j), named after the 19th century English physicist and brewer, James Prescott Joule.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the exercise, the students would be able to:

1. To explain the principle of work done in an object through a simple experiment along the horizontal and vertical planes.
2. Compute the work done along vertical and horizontal using the spring balance.
3. To understand how the total work done on the object changes the object's energy.

Procedure

A. Work done along the vertical

1. Set up the apparatus, using the approximately 2m long and the book connected to spring scale.
2. Using the spring balance, pass the string in the middle of the book and lift it 2m above the ground.
3. perform the experiment for five trials.

B. Work along the horizontal

1. using the same materials and setup, place the book along the horizontal surface.
2. As the book is connected to the spring scale, pull the book through a distance of 1.5 meter, using a constant rate of motion.
The force exerted must be parallel to the horizontal surface.
3.Record the reading on the spring scale while pulling at a constant speed. Repeat the procedure for five trials.
4. From the gathered data, compute for work done in pulling the book both along the vertical and the horizontal planes.

Laboratory Exercises
Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P. GUILALAS, LPT

Data and Answer Sheet

Name: _____________________________________________________Group No.: ______________________________

Course: ____________________________________Date Performed: ______________Date Submitted: ______________

Data and Results

A. Work along the vertical
Trial Force(N) Displacement(m) Work Done(J)
1
2
3
4
5
Average

B. Work along the horizontal

Trial Force(N) Displacement(m) Work Done(J)
1
2
3
4
5
Average

Observation
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Conclusion
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Laboratory Exercises
Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P. GUILALAS, LPT

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Questions & Problems: Work

1. Explain why there are similarities or differences the work done along the vertical and the horizontal planes.
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2. How much work is done in lifting a 300-kg marblr slab to a height of 50 m on a building under construction?
Solution:

3. A person pulls a block 2 m along a horizontal surface by a constant force F = 20 N. Determine the work done by force F
acting on the block.
Solution:

4. A force F = 10 N acting on a box 1 m along a horizontal surface. The force acts at a 30o angle as shown in figure below.
Determine the work done by force F!
Solution:

5. A body falls freely from rest, from a height of 2 m. If acceleration due to gravity is 10 m/s2, determine the work done by
the force of gravity!
Solution:

Laboratory Exercises
Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P. GUILALAS, LPT

6. The same force F pushes in three different ways on a box moving with a velocity v, as the drawings show. Rank the work
done by the force F in ascending order (smallest first)

A. (A, B, C)
B. (A, C, B)
C. (B, A, C)
D. (C, B, A)
E. (C, A, B)
Justification:
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Work is maximized when the force is applied in the same direction as the movement. The greater the
component of the force with the direction of motion, the greater the work.
In C there is no work being done since the direction of the force is perpendicular to the direction of
movement, and there is no component of force in the direction of movement.
In A there is a component of force with the direction of motion.
In B, the full force is in the same direction as the motion, and will therefore be doing the largest amount of
work
Therefore, the correct answer is E
7. A box is lifted vertically 1.5 m and is then held there. The box has a weight of 100 N. Ignore friction. How much work is
being done in holding the box in this elevated position?

A. 150 J

B. More than 150 J

Laboratory Exercises
Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P. GUILALAS, LPT

C. Less than 150 J

D. No work is being done

Justification:
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You are not doing any work because you didn't move the box in any direction. With no displacement W = Fd = 0 J (Answer
D). Yes, it does feel like you are putting work in just by holding a heavy box, but in physics the definition of work requires
that a force causes a displacement in order for work to be done. Our bodies need to use chemical energy to hold the box
up, and we are producing a force to keep it in the air. However, since the box is stationary, no work is done. If a table were
to hold up the same box, it still wouldn't be doing any work.

8. A woman pulls a crate up a rough inclined plane at constant speed. Which statement is false?

A. The work done on the object by gravity is zero

B. The gravitational PE of the crate is increasing
C. The work done by the net force acting on the crate is zero
D. The work done on the crate by the normal force is zero
Justification:
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Justification: Let us look at all of the different options: A) The box is on an inclined slope, so the force of gravity is acts on the
box at an angle. Therefore, the work done by gravity is not zero because a component of the gravity force is in the opposite
direction of the motion of the box being pulled up the incline. Since this is false, this is the right answer.

Laboratory Exercises
Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P. GUILALAS, LPT

B) As the crate is being pulled up the incline, the height of the crate
above the ground is increasing, therefore increasing its gravitational PE.
C) The net work done on the crate IS zero because the box is not accelerating. With no acceleration, there is no net force.
With no net force, there is no net work done on the crate.
D) The normal force is perpendicular to the motion of the crate, therefore the work done by the normal force is zero.

9. A water skier, moving at a speed of 9.30 m/s, is being pulled by a tow rope that makes an angle of 37.0° with respect to
the velocity of the boat. The tow rope is parallel to the water. The skier is moving in the same direction as the boat. If the
tension in the tow rope is 135 N, determine the work that it does in 12.0 s.
A. 108 J
B. 135 J
C. 12 000 J
D. 15 100 J
Solution:

Laboratory Exercises
Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P. GUILALAS, LPT

References: Quiambao, Raquel. 2004 Physics laboratory manual for health sciences
http://scienceres-edcp-educ.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2015/10/sec_phys_work_problems.pdf
Laboratory Exercises
Physics for Engineers MR. LAURENCE P. GUILALAS, LPT

Laboratory Exercises