SECTIONAP 1 : Work, Energy, and Power

Work energy theorem

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.2.A - Describe the work done on an object or system by a given force or collection of forces. AP MECHANICS -C LEARNING OBJECTIVE INT 4.C -Calculate the net work done on an object that undergoes a specified change in speed or change in kinetic energy. Calculate changes in an object’s kinetic energy or changes in speed that result from the application of specified forces. In...

What is kinetic energy?

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.1.A - Describe the translational kinetic energy of an object in terms of the object’s mass and velocity. AP MECHANICS -C LEARNING OBJECTIVE INT 4.C -. Calculate the change in kinetic energy due to the work done on an object or a system by a single force or multiple forces. In the last section, we looked at ways to store work. The next obvious question is how to transport this...

Can we store work – What is Energy?

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.4.A -Describe the energies present in a system. In the last section, we learned to calculate Work in different scenarios. Work makes things happen. The next question is can we somehow store the work for future use, If so how? Once stored we will probably also need to transport it, which will allow us to use it wherever we need as well as whenever we need it. This is the main...

Work done in case of varying force

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.2.A - Describe the work done on an object or system by a given force or collection of forces. AP MECHANICS -C LEARNING OBJECTIVE INT 4.B -Calculate a value for work done on an object from a force versus position graph. Consider a body moving in a straight line under the influence of force F. For simplicity, we assume that displacement of the body happens in the direction of...

Work done by a force acting at an angle with displacement

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.2.A - Describe the work done on an object or system by a given force or collection of forces. AP MECHANICS -C LEARNING OBJECTIVE INT 4.A -Describe the work done on an object as the result of the scalar product between force and displacement. Explain how the work done on an object by an applied force acting on an object can be negative or zero. Having considered the simple...

Work depends upon displacement and frame of reference

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.2.A - Describe the work done on an object or system by a given force or collection of forces. Consider a man holding a ball in a fixed position in his outstretched hand (Refer to Figure case A). Our intuition suggests that the man does work. Yet the equation $W= F.\Delta x $ indicates that no work is done on the ball since the ball does not move and the displacement $\Delta...

Calculating work done by a force

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.2.A - Describe the work done on an object or system by a given force or collection of forces. AP MECHANICS -C LEARNING OBJECTIVE INT 4.A -Calculate work done by a given force (constant or as a given function F(x)) on an object that undergoes a specified displacement. let’s now define the work mathematically, so that we can calculate its value. To introduce the...

The essence of work

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.2.A - Describe the work done on an object or system by a given force or collection of forces. In the last section, we look at a new physical quantity called work. We will now go a bit deeper to get the essence of it. Before, we start studying the Work in more detail and mathematically. Let’s try to understand why the work is an important physical quantity. Let us say we...

Understanding Work

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LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3.2.A - Describe the work done on an object or system by a given force or collection of forces. So far we have handled mechanics problems using force and Newton’s law. Now it’s time to switch to another method of analysing mechanics problems, namely the work and energy method. This method is often easier to use and can provide quick and neat solutions to mechanics problems if...

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Hi, I am Gaurav. I am a passionate physics student and tutor. I help students study and prepare for exams such as AP Physics, NEET and IIT JEE. I appeared for IIT JEE exam way back in 1998 and during that time I fell in love with Physics. I managed to clear the exam and eventually worked in several countries in different roles but the love for Physics always continued and hence the journey of life long learning and teaching.