Question

Question #dd1a6

Answer 1

Yes, there is, and it’s not too hard. Firstly work done and energy mean the same thing and have equivalent units (i.e. 1J = 1Nm)

Explanation:

The equation is just work done, `w = F xx s` provided the force applied is in the direction of the displacement, s. So if a workman pulls a tool 0.5m towards him with a force of 8N the work done is: `w = F xx s = 8 xx 0.5 = 4 Nm` Just be careful to use distance in m even if it is quoted in cm or km in the question.

At a higher level, we introduce the idea that the force could be at an angle to the displacement (e.g. a dog pulling it’s owner on a lead), in which case we use `w = F xx s xx cos theta` where `theta` is the angle between them. This means no work is done if the force is a right angles to the displacement travelled.