In science, work is the amount of effort spent when the application of a force causes an object to move over a distance. But the distance only counts if it is in the direction of the applied force.
Work is energy that has been used. When you do work, you use energy.
A person that holds an object does not do any work, because the applied force is not moving the object through a distance. Work, according to the physics definition, is accomplished when the object is being lifted, but not while it is stationary.
Example: Lifting a weight from the ground and putting it on a shelf means that work has been done. The force is equal to the weight of the object, and the distance is equal to the height of the shelf.
Example: Picking up a weight from a different room and walking with it to the other room before putting it onto the shelf, means that work was not done any more than if the weight was on the ground directly beneath the shelf. It may have felt like more work was done, but while walking with the weight, it moved horizontally, while the force from the weight was vertical.
In science, work is the amount of effort spent when the application of a force causes an object to move over a distance. But the distance only counts if it is in the direction of the applied force.
Work is energy that has been used. When you do work, you use energy.
A person that holds an object does not do any work, because the applied force is not moving the object through a distance. Work, according to the physics definition, is accomplished when the object is being lifted, but not while it is stationary.
Example: Lifting a weight from the ground and putting it on a shelf means that work has been done. The force is equal to the weight of the object, and the distance is equal to the height of the shelf.
Example: Picking up a weight from a different room and walking with it to the other room before putting it onto the shelf, means that work was not done any more than if the weight was on the ground directly beneath the shelf. It may have felt like more work was done, but while walking with the weight, it moved horizontally, while the force from the weight was vertical.
A video about work:
Youtube Link -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qddydNEk-14
Content:
~ Home Page
~ Work
~ Energy
~ Forms of Energy
~ Practice Questions - About Energy
~ Answers - About Energy
~ Units of Measurements
~ Calculations
~ Practice Questions - With Calculations
~ Answers - With Calculations
~ Bibliography