If anything causes the given product or object move, accelerate, or slow down is termed as force. Whereas, work is when energy transfer causes an object to displace over a distance. In this post, “Explaining force and work”, I’m going to explain the interrelations between these two scientific terms.
Meaning and examples of force
Anything that causes an object to undergo unnatural change is termed as force — Aristotle. Simply, if your pull and push on a given object causes the object to move or slow down from the original state or position, such change is termed as force.
Pushing pedal of cycle, pulling water from well, lifting weight, ploughing field, etc. are the examples of the force.
Unit, quantity, formula for force
Yes, force is a vector quantity because it has both magnitude and direction. The SI unit of force is “Newton (N).
Basically, force can accelerate, slow down speed of given object or change the direction.
F = ma
F = force
m = mass
a = acceleration (v/t)
v = velocity
t = time.
Understanding types and examples of forces
Forces that applied on the body by the means of physical contacts are known as contact forces. While forces that applied without or in absence of physical contacts are termed as non-contact forces.
Electrostatic, magnetic, and gravitational forces are classified as non-contact forces. And, frictional, mechanical, and muscular forces categorised as contact forces.
What does work mean?
When energy transfer causes an object to displace over a distance is called work done. Simply, if we apply force on a given object to move or displace over a distance from point of application, is known as work done.
Here, distance and displacement are two similar terms but have different meanings. Distance is the ground covered by an object or product due to force. On the other hand, displacement is the overall or net change in the position of the given object or product from the point of application of force.
Direction and application of force
For clarity, the direction towards which force is applied is the direction of force. While application of force is the point at which force is applied.
Unlike force, work has only magnitude but no direction. So, it is labelled as scalar quantity. And, the SI unit of work is joule as like energy.
The formula for work is as,
W = fd
W = work
f = force
d = displacement.
Negative, positive, and zero work
When force and displacement are in the opposite direction, it results in the negative work. Simply direction of displacement and motion are opposite.
If the force and displacement are in the same direction, positive work results. It means that direction of force and motion is the same.
Zero work done means, force and displacement are perpendicular or at the right angle to each other. Because there is no displacement despite force is applied.
Examples of work done positive, negative and zero
Pulling water from well, throwing a ball in the air upward, lifting luggage, slidding lift are the examples of negative work done.
Hitting a ball with bat, moving chair, table, etc, pushing a car are the examples of positive work done.
Carrying the bag perpendicular to the force of gravity results in the zero work done. This is all about the explaining force and work scientific terms.
Questions on explaining force and work
Following are some useful solved questions on explaining force and work for in-depth understanding.
Q.1.What is mean by force? What is its SI unit?
Ans: Force is a physical quantity or simply, anything that causes a thing to move, or bring moving thing at rest. Also, it may change the direction of a moving thing.
Simply put, force is a push or pull that makes anything to accelerate or de-accelerate. As moving thing has certain mass and changes it’s speed with respect to time, it gives formula:
F = m X a
where, m = mass of an object in kg
a = acceleration of an object in m/s2
Unit of Force : kg. m/s2
This whole quantity is named as Newton in the memory of great scientist Issac Newton. So unit of force is Newton and it represented by N.
Q.2.What is force and it’s SI unit?
Ans: As we know that when force is applied on any object it moves or retards the object and sweeps certain distance. So, work is the effect of force.
When force is applied on any object it displaces object from one position to another then it is called as work done. Technically, to be work done there should be displacement of an object.
Formula of work = force x displacement
Work done = F x d
Where F = force applied on an object in N
d = displacement of an object in m.
Unit of work = Newton meter
This quantity Newton meter is termed as Joule in the memory of great scientist Joule.
Q.3.What is difference between distance distance and displacement?
Ans: Both these terms seems alike but there is slight difference between them. Both are distances measured in meter. Having a specific direction or not is the matter thinking.
Distance is a specific path if an object in any direction means not having specific direction. But, displacement is a path or a distance in a given specific direction.
Q.4.Which type of quantities are work and force?
Ans: Physical quantities are classified As scalar and vector quantities on the basic of direction.
As we know that displacement is a distance measured in a specific direction, so it is a vector quantity.
So, velocity as well as acceleration have direction and are vector quantity.Both force and work include acceleration and displacement in their formulae. So these both physical quantities are vector quantities.
Q.5 What is mean by positive and negative work done?
Ans: Force make an object to move and displacement occurs. It means that work has done. To be work done there should be displacement of an object.
If this displacement is in the direction of an applied force work done is said to be positive work.On the other hand, when force is applied on an object and displacement is in the opposite direction of applied force that work done is considered as negative work.
Gerund and infinitive difference
Micro Sociologist George Simmel