SP16.
8w Work done and power
1 The words and symbols in the box below are parts of the equations used to calculate work done
and power.
Draw a table with the headings below followed by six empty rows.
Symbol Description Unit Work done or
symbol power equation?
Complete your table using the symbols and words from the box. You can use the words and symbols
more than once.
d distance moved in the direction of the force E F force J
m N P power s t time taken W work done
2 Jenna pushed a box along the floor using a force of 30 N. She moved the box 3 m in 10 seconds.
a Calculate the work done when Jenna pushed the box.
b Calculate the power Jenna used.
This equation shows how much energy is stored when an object is moved into a higher position.
change in gravitational = mass × gravitational × change in
potential energy (ΔGPE) field strength vertical height
Mass × gravitational field strength is the weight of the object. So this equation is similar to the equation for work
done.
3 In the equation for ΔGPE, which term is the equivalent of:
a work done b force c distance moved?
4 Jenna lifts the box in question 2 onto a shelf 1 m above the floor. She uses a force of 50 N. The mass of the
box is 5 kg.
a Calculate the work done as Jenna lifts the box.
b Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy when Jenna puts the box onto the shelf.
Use g = 10 N/kg.
5 A crane lifts a mass of 500 kg to a height of 20 m.
a Calculate the change in ΔGPE as the crane lifts the mass.
b The crane transfers 110 000 J of energy as it lifts the mass. Explain how much of the energy
transferred by the crane is wasted energy.
c Describe what happens to the wasted energy and explain why this energy is not useful.
d Calculate the efficiency of the crane. useful energy transferred by the device
efficiency
total energy supplied to the device
Work done is the amount of
energy transferred when a force
moves something.
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