Work Physics Example 2

Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.

medium

A person pulls a sled with

100 \text{ N}

30°

above the horizontal for

20 \text{ m}

. How much work is done?

1
Because the force is angled, use the component along the displacement: $W = Fd\cos\theta$ .
2
Substitute the values: $W = 100 \times 20 \times \cos 30° = 2000 \times 0.866$ .
3
$W = 1732 \text{ J}$

Answer

W \approx 1732 \text{ J}

When the force is at an angle to the displacement, only the component of force along the displacement does work. The cosine factor accounts for this.

About Work

The transfer of energy that occurs when a force causes an object to move through a distance in the direction of the force, calculated as.

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