Video Transcript
A constant force pushes an object for 25 meters, as shown in the diagram. How much work is done by the force?
Okay, so in this question, weโre given a diagram that shows a 5.2-newton force acting on an object. The question tells us that this force is constant, which means that it keeps the same value of 5.2 newtons. Letโs label this force as ๐น. We can see from the diagram that ๐น acts to the right, and so this force causes the object to move to the right. We are told that it moves a distance of 25 meters, and this is also shown in the diagram. Letโs label this distance moved by the object as ๐.
Weโre being asked to find how much work is done by the force. We can recall that the work done on an object by a force is equal to the magnitude of the force multiplied by the distance the object moves. If we label the work done as ๐, then for a force ๐น which causes an object to move a distance ๐, we can write this equation in terms of symbols as ๐ is equal to ๐น multiplied by ๐. In this case, we know the value of the force ๐น and we know the distance ๐ that the object moves. So letโs go ahead and sub those values into this equation to calculate the work done ๐. When we do this, we get that ๐ is equal to 5.2 newtons, thatโs the value for ๐น, multiplied by 25 meters, the value for ๐.
At this point, we should notice that the force is given in its SI unit of newtons. And the distance is in units of meters, the SI base unit for distance. A force in newtons and a distance in meters means that weโll calculate a work done in the SI unit of energy, the joule. Evaluating this expression gives us a result of 130 joules. So our answer to this question is that the amount of work done by the force is 130 joules.
