13.

1 Work and Power

Todays objectives
To know

scientific meaning of Work and

Power
Know how to calculate work and power
Know the units of work and power
Finding out how much work you can do and
how much power you have

Bellringer

a. A man pushes against a brick wall, which doesnt move.

Is this an example of work?
b. A student carries her books to class. Is this an example
of work?
c. A woman raises and lowers dumbbells at the gym. Is
this an example of work?
d. A book falls off a table and lands on the floor. Is this an
example of work?

What is work
When

you think of
work do you
imagine the picture
to the right?
Something else?
If we ask a scientist
they would have a
different opinion

Work
Work

is done when Force (a push or a pull) moves

an object.
In order for work to be done a force must be
applied AND the object must move.
Questions
Is work being done when you push on a wall?
What about lifting a text book over your head?

Work

The confusing part

But

dont you get tired when you push a wall

because youre doing work?
NO, well not to a scientist. That is just thousands
of muscle contractions.
Work is only done when there is a force AND the
object moves!
Give me 3 examples of work being done
remember machines can exert a force also.

Calculating Work

Remember you need force and distance moved, so

Work = Force x Distance

or

W=Fxd
The unit for work is Joules (J)
1 J= 1 N m since Force is in Newtons and distance is in
meters

Work Practice
1.
2.

You exert a force of 5 N to lift a book 2 meter.

How much work, in Joules, did you do?
You exert a force of 300 N to push a car 15 m.
How much work, in Joules, did you do?
Pg 432 Practice Problems

Power
When

you walk up stairs you are pushing yourself

against the force of gravity so you are doing
work.
When you run up the stairs you do the exact same
amount of work but its more tiring Why?
Power is the rate at which you do work
Power = Work / Time or P = W / t
Power is measured in Watts (W)
1 W = 1J/s
More

Power = More Energy

Work and Power

Power

and Watts - TED Ed

Applications of Work and Power

Power comparisons you know.

In the english system power is measured in Horse Power!
This was how much power the average horse had or how fast
it could do work.
1hp = 746 W

Ford Mustang its alright

Chevy Aveo Chick Magnet
500 HP
103 HP
Or about 373,000 W
Or about 77,000 W
This means the mustang can do more WORK in less TIME!

Power Practice
1.
2.
3.

You do 7000 J of work to walk up the stairs in

10 s. What is your power output in Watts?
You then run up the next flight in 5 seconds.
What is your power output in Watts?
How much more power did you have when you
ran?
Pg 434 practice problems

How much power do you have?

We will

work in table groups to determine the

power difference of running vs walking up stairs.
Each person is responsible for turning in a
completed lab worksheet.