WORK, ENERGY AND POWER

(A) WORK, ENERGY AND POWER, THEIR MEASUREMENTS AND UNITS

WORK
In our daily parlance, the word 'work' is used for some sort of exertion
(physical or mental) or for various activities such as writing, reading or
eating; we say that we are doing work. But in Physics the word work is used
in a specific sense. Work is said to be done only when a body moves under
the influence of a force.
Work is said to be done only when the force applied on a body makes the
body move.

MEASUREMENT OF WORK
The amount of work done on a body depends on two factors:
(i) the magnitude of the force applied, and
(ii) the displacement produced by the force.

Work = Force x displacement of the point of application of force in the

direction of force
• If a force acts on a body and the body does not move i.e., displacement is
zero, then no work is done.

Work is a scalar quantity.

Expression for work (W = F S cos θ)

It is not necessary that a force always causes displacement of the body in
its own direction. If under some circumstances, a force displaces the body
in a direction other than the direction of force, then we can determine the
amount of work done by the force in either of the two ways:
(1) by finding the component of displacement of the body in the direction of
force, or

(2) by finding the component of force in the direction of displacement.

Thus, work done depends on (i) the magnitude of force, (ii) the magnitude of
displacement and (iii) the angle between the force and displacement.

Special cases
Case (i): If the displacement is in the direction of force, i.e., θ = 0° deg then
cos 0° = 1
W=FxS
The work done is positive.

Case (ii): When the displacement is normal to the direction of force, i.e., θ =
90°, then cos 90° = 0.
W=0
Hence the work done is zero.

Case (iii): If the displacement is in a direction opposite to the force, i.e., θ =

180° then cos 180° = -1.
The work done is negative.

WORK DONE BY THE FORCE OF GRAVITY W = mgh

The force of gravity on the body is F = mg acting vertically downwards and
the vertical displacement in the direction of force is S = h. Therefore, the
work done by the force of gravity on the body is
W = FS = mgh
Thus, work done by the force of gravity is same whether the body comes
down from a certain height using stairs or slope or a lift.

UNITS OF WORK
S.I. unit: The S.I. unit of work is joule. It is abbreviated as J.
Since work = force x displacement
◆ 1 joule = 1 newton x 1 metre
Define 1 Joule
1 joule of work is said to be done when a force of 1 newton displaces a body
through a distance of 1 metre in its own direction.

Bigger units of work are kilo-joule (kJ), mega-joule (MJ) and giga-joule (GJ),
where 1 kJ = 10³ J, 1 MJ = 10⁶ J and 1 GJ = 10⁹ J.

C.G.S. unit: The C.G.S. unit of work is erg,

where 1 erg = 1 dyne x 1 cm.
Define 1 erg
1 erg of work is said to be done when a force of 1 dyne displaces a body
through a distance of 1 cm in its own direction.

Relationship between joule and erg

1 joule = 1 N × 1 m
But 1 N = 10⁵ dyne and 1 m = 10² cm
◆ 1 joule = 10⁵ dyne × 10² cm
= 10⁷ dyne x cm = 10⁷ erg
Thus 1 joule = 10⁷ erg

POWER (P = W/t)
Definition: The rate of doing work is called power.
Power is a scalar quantity.
Measurement of power: The power spent by a source is measured as the
amount of work done by the source in one second.
If work W is done in time t, then
Power P = Work done W / Time taken t
Or P = W/t
P =F *v

Thus power spent by a source depends on the following two factors:

(1) the amount of work done by the source, and
(2) the time taken by the source to do the said work.

UNITS OF POWER
S.I. unit: The S.I. unit of power is watt W.
If 1 joule of work is done in 1 second, the power spent is said to be 1 watt.
i.e., 1 Watt = 1 joule / 1 second
Bigger Units of Power are kilowatt (kW), megawatt (MW) and gigawatt (GW)
where,
1 kW = 103 W ; 1 MW = 106 W and 1 GW = 109 W
Smaller Units of Power are milliwatt (mW) and microwatt (µW) where,
1 mW = 10-3 W and 1 µW = 10-6 W

C.G.S. Unit: The C.G.S unit of power is erg per second (erg s-1).

Horse power: It is another unit of power, largely used in mechanical

engineering. It is related to the S.I. unit watt as below:
1 H.P. = 746 W = 0.746 KW
ENERGY (Energy as work done)
A body capable of doing work is said to possess energy.
The energy of a body is its capacity to do work.

UNITS OF ENERGY
The units of energy are same as that of work.
(1) The S.I. unit of energy is joule (J) and the C.G.S. unit of energy is erg,
where
1 J = 10⁷ erg.

(2) The bigger units of energy are:

(i) Watt hour: One watt hour (1 Wh) is the energy spent (or work done) by a
source of power 1 W in 1 h, i.e.,
1 watt hour (Wh) = 1 watt x 1 hour
= 1 J s–¹ x 3600 s
= 3600 J = 3.6 KJ
(ii) Kilowatt hour: One kilowatt hour (1 kWh) is the energy spent (or work
done) by a source of power 1 kW in 1 h. i.e.,
1 kilowatt hour (kWh) = 1 kilowatt × 1 hour
= 1000J s-¹ x 3600s
= 3.6 x 10⁶ J = 3.6 MJ

(3) Calorie: Heat energy is usually measured in calorie.

1 calorie is the heat energy required in raising the temperature of 1 g of
water through 1 degree C.
It is related to joule as 1 J = 0•24 calorie or 1 calorie = 4•18 J..
(4) Electron volt: The energy transfer in case of atomic particles is very
small, so it is measured in electron volt (eV).
1 eV is the energy gained by an electron when it is accelerated through a
potential difference of 1 volt.

(B) DIFFERENT FORMS OF ENERGY

MECHANICAL ENERGY AND ITS DAUOT DIFFERENT FORMS

The energy possessed by a body due to its state of rest or of motion, is
called mechanical energy. It is in two forms:
(1) potential energy, and
(2) kinetic energy.

POTENTIAL ENERGY (U)

The energy possessed by a body at rest due to its position or size and
shape is called potential energy.
It is usually denoted by the symbol U.

Forms of potential energy

In mechanics, potential energy is mainly of two kinds:
(1) Gravitational potential energy: Each body experiences a force of
attraction due to Earth which is called the force due to gravity or weight of
the body. The potential energy possessed by a body due to the force of
attraction of Earth on it, is called its gravitational potential energy.
(2) Elastic potential energy: When an external force is applied on a non-rigid
body, it gets deformed due to change in its size and shape. On removal of
the force, it regains its original form due to the property of elasticity. Thus
the potential energy possessed by a body in the deformed state due to
change in its size and shape is called elastic potential energy.
GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL ENERGY AT A HEIGHT (U = mgh)
The work done W on the body in lifting it to a height h is

W = Force of gravity (mg) x displacement (h) = mgh

Gravitational potential energy U = mgh

KINETIC ENERGY (K)

The energy possessed by a body due to its state of motion is called its
kinetic energy.
It is usually denoted by the symbol K.

Examples: A fast moving stone has the capacity of breaking a window pane
on striking squ it because it has kinetic energy. Similarly, a car in motion,
moving hands of a clock, a bullet fired from a gun, a rolling ball, an apple
falling from a height, etc. have kinetic energy.

Expression for kinetic energy ( K = 1/2 mv²)

The kinetic energy possessed by a moving body is equal to the amount of
work which the moving body can do before coming to rest. It can be
calculated by finding the amount of work needed to be done by an opposing
force to stop the body.

Relationship between kinetic energy and momentum

Let a body of mass m be moving with a velocity v. Then its
kinetic energy K = 1/2 m v²
momentum p = mv

Work Energy Theorem

When a force is applied in the direction of motion of a body, it accelerates
the motion and thus increases the kinetic energy of the body.

According to the work energy theorem, the increase in kinetic energy of a

moving body is equal to the work done by a force acting in the direction of
the moving body.

Forms of kinetic energy

A body can have three types
(1) Translational kinetic energy: The motion of a body in a straight line_path
is called translational motion and the kinetic energy of the body due to
motion in a straight line is called translational kinetic energy.

(2) Rotational kinetic energy: If a body rotates about an axis, the motion is
called rotational motion and the kinetic energy of the body due to rotational
motion is called rotational kinetic energy or simply rotational energy.

(3) Vibrational kinetic energy: If a body moves to and fro about its mean
position, the motion is called vibrational motion. The kinetic energy of the
body due to its vibrational motion is called vibrational kinetic energy or
simply vibrational energy.

CONVERSION OF POTENTIAL ENERGY INTO KINETIC ENERGY

Potential energy changes into kinetic energy whenever it is put to use.
Examples: (1) A hammer at a height has gravitational potential energy which
is equal to the work done in moving the hammer to that height against the
force due to gravity on it. When the hammer is made to fall on a nail fixed
upright on a wooden piece, the nail begins to penetrate. The reason is that
as the hammer starts falling, its potential energy begins to change into its
kinetic energy.
(2) A wound up watch spring has elastic potential energy which is equal to
the work done in bringing it to the wound-up state. As the spring unwinds
itself, the potential energy stored in it changes into kinetic energy which
does work in moving the hands of the watch and thus changes into the
kinetic energy of the hands.

DIFFERENT FORMS OF ENERGY

Nature has provided us energy in various forms namely, (1) solar energy, (2)
heat (or radiant) energy, (3) light energy, (4) chemical (or fuel) energy, (5)
hydro energy, (6) electrical energy, (7) nuclear energy, (8) geo-thermal
energy, (9) wind energy, (10) sound energy, (11) magnetic energy, and (12)
mechanical energy, etc.
(1) Solar energy: The energy radiated out by the Sun is called solar energy.
Solar energy cannot be used directly to perform work, because it is too
diffused and it is not always available uniformly. However, a number of
devices such as (i) solar panels, (ii) solar furnaces, and (iii) solar cells, etc.
have been invented to make use of solar energy.
(i) A solar panel consists of a black-painted metal surface which absorbs
the sun's energy and heats water in its contact.
(ii) A solar furnace has a large aperture parabolic mirror which focuses the
sun rays on a small area so that a high temperature is achieved. Thus, by
storing water at the focus of the mirror, water can be boiled to produce
steam.
(iii) Solar cells are devices used to convert solar energy directly into
electrical energy. These cells are made from thin slices of a semiconducting
material. However, the efficiency of a solar cell to convert solar energy into
electrical energy is very low.

(2) Heat energy: The energy released on burning coal, oil, wood or gas is
called heat energy. The steam obtained on heating water possesses heat
energy and it has the capacity to do work. In a steam engine, heat energy of
steam is used to obtain work.
(3) Light energy: It is a form of energy in the presence of which other
objects are seen. The natural source of light energy is Sun. Moon reflects
the sunlight at night. Many sources such as fire, burning candle, heated
filament of a bulb etc. also give light energy along with heat energy.

(4) Chemical (or fuel) energy: The energy possessed by the fossil fuels such
as coal, petroleum and natural gas is called chemical energy (or fuel
energy). These fuels contain chemical energy stored in them. When fuels
are burnt, chemical energy changes into heat and light energy.

(5) Hydro energy: The energy possessed by fast moving water is called
hydro energy. This energy is used to generate electricity in hydroelectric
power stations. For this, water is stored in dams built across the rivers high
up in the hills and the water from the dams is allowed to flow down through
channels.

(6) Electrical energy: When two dry bodies are rubbed together, they get
charged due to the movement of free electrons from one body to the other
body, so they possess electrical energy.

(7) Nuclear energy: The energy released due to loss in mass during the
processes of nuclear fission and fusion, is called nuclear (or atomic)
energy. In both these processes the loss in mass gets converted into
energy In both these processes the loss in mass gets converted into energy
in accordance with Einstein's mass-energy.

(8) Geo thermal energy: The energy released in nuclear disintegrations in

the interior of Earth gets stored deep inside the Earth and is called geo
thermal energy. This energy heats up the underground water to produce
natural steam.

(9) Wind energy: The energy possessed by the fast moving air is called wind
energy. This energy is used in driving a wind mill. In rural areas for past
many years, wind mills were used to pump out the underground water and
to grind grains.

(10) Sound energy: A vibrating body possesses sound energy. It is sensed

by our ears. When the disturbance produced by a vibrating body in the
atmospheric air layers reaches our ears and produces vibrations in the ear-
membrane, sound is heard.

(11) Magnetic energy: The energy possessed by a magnet due to which it

can attract iron filings, is called magnetic, energy. An electromagnet has
magnetic energy.

(12) Mechanical energy: The energy possessed by a body due to its state of
rest or of motion, is called mechanical energy. It is the sum of potential
energy and kinetic energy. A body at a height, a moving body, a stretched
bow, etc. have mechanical energy.

CONVERSION OF ONE FORM OF ENERGY INTO THE OTHER FORM

In our daily life, we require energy in various forms. Since one form of
energy can be converted into other forms, we can obtain energy in the
required form from the form of energy available to us.
Now let us consider some more examples of conversion of one form of
energy into another form.
(1) Mechanical energy to electrical energy
The water stored in the reservoir of a dam has potential energy. When water
flows down, its potential energy decreases and kinetic energy increases. If
the falling water is made to rotate a turbine near the bottom of the dam, the
kinetic energy of water is transferred to the turbine in the form of rotational
kinetic energy due to which it rotates.

(2) Electrical energy to mechanical energy

In an electric motor, when an electric current is passed in a coil, freely
suspended (or pivoted) in a magnetic field, a torque acts on the coil due to
which it rotates. The shaft attached to the coil also rotates with it.

(3) Electrical energy to heat energy

In electric appliances such as heater, oven, geyser, toaster, etc. electrical
energy changes into heat energy when a current changes into heat energy
when a current passes through their resistance wire (or filament).

(4) Heat energy to electrical energy

In a thermocouple, when two junctions of two different metals are kept at
different temperatures (one junction is kept hot, while the other cold), a
current flows in the thermocouple. Thus, a thermocouple changes the heat
energy supplied at the hot junction into electrical energy.

(5) Electrical energy to sound energy

A loudspeaker when in use, receives electrical energy in form of electrical
signals from the microphone and changes it into sound energy. In an
electric bell when an electric current is passed, the electrical energy
changes into sound energy.

(6) Sound energy to electrical energy

A microphone converts the sound energy into electrical energy in form of
varying electric signals.
(7) Electrical energy to chemical energy
While charging a battery, electrical energy changes into the chemical
energy of the cell.

(8) Chemical energy to electrical energy

When current is drawn from an electric cell, the chemical energy stored in it
changes into electrical energy.

(9) Chemical energy to light energy

When a candle burns, it gives light. Similarly in a kerosene lamp when the
oil soaked in its wick burns, the chemical energy changes into light energy.

(10) Light energy to chemical energy

The light energy from the Sun is absorbed by the green plants and they
change it in the form of chemical energy (food) during the process of
photosynthesis.

(11) Electrical energy to light energy

When an electric bulb glows on passing an electric current through it, the
electrical energy changes into heat and light energies.

(12) Light energy to electrical energy: In a photoelectric cell, light energy

gets converted into electrical energy.
In a solar cell, light (or solar) energy changes into electrical energy.

(13) Heat energy to mechanical energy

In a steam engine, the heat energy of steam changes into the kinetic energy
of piston.

(14) Chemical energy to heat energy

When fuel such as wood, coal, bio-gas, etc. burns, the chemical energy
changes into heat energy. In a steam engine, the chemical energy of coal on
burning changes into the heat energy of steam. In explosion of crackers, the
chemical energy changes into heat, light and sound energies.

(15) Chemical energy to mechanical energy

In automobiles, while in motion, the chemical energy of petrol (or diesel)
changes into mechanical energy (or kinetic energy).

(16) Electrical energy to magnetic energy

While making an electromagnet, an electric current is passed in a coil
wound around a soft iron bar which gets magnetised. Thus, electrical
energy changes into magnetic energy.

(17) Nuclear energy to electrical energy

In a nuclear reactor, the energy released in the process of nuclear fission is
nuclear energy which is converted into electrical energy.

(18) Mechanical energy to heat energy

When water falls from a height, the potential energy stored in water at that
height changes into the kinetic energy of water during the fall. On striking
the ground (or bottom), a part of the kinetic energy of water changes into
heat energy due to which the temperature of water rises.

(C) CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

PRINCIPLE OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

The principle of conservation of energy is one of the fundamental principles
of nature.
According to the principle of conservation of energy, energy can neither be
created nor can it be destroyed. It only changes from one form to another.
In the universe, energy occurs in various forms. The sum of all forms of
energy in the universe remains constant.
If there is only an interchange between potential energy and kinetic energy,
the total mechanical energy (i.e., the sum of kinetic energy K and potential
energy U) remains constant i.e., K + U = constant in the absence of all kinds
of frictional forces.

THEORETICAL VERIFICATION OF K + U = CONSTANT FOR A FREELY

FALLING BODY
Let a body of mass m be falling freely under gravity from a height h above
the ground (i.e., from position A in Fig.). As the body falls down, its potential
energy changes into kinetic energy. At each point of motion, the sum of
potential energy and kinetic energy remains unchanged.
At position A (at height h above the ground):
Initial velocity of body = 0 (since body is at rest at A)
◆ Kinetic energy K = 0
Potential energy U = mgh
Hence, total energy = K + U = 0 + mgh = mgh

At position B (when it has fallen through a distance x):

Let v1 be the velocity acquired by the body at B after falling through a
distance x.Then u = 0, S = x, a = g
From equation v² = u² + 2aS
V12 = 0 + 2gx = 2gx

◆ Kinetic energy K = 1/2 mv12

= 1/2 m x (2gx) = mgx

At position C (on the ground):

Let the velocity acquired by the body on reaching the ground be v. Then u =
0, S = h, a = g
From equation v² = u² + 2aS
v² = 0 + 2gh
or v² = 2gh
 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. When a body is whirled in a circle, the work done by it is:

(a) Positive
(b) negative
(c) zero
(d) infinite

2. When a body is thrown up, work done by the gravity on the body is

(a) positive
(b) negative
(c) zero
(d) maximum

3. One electron volt is equivalent to:

(a) 1.6 x 10-¹⁹ J

(b) 1.6 x 10¹⁰ J
(c) 2.6 × 10-¹⁰ J
(d) 1.6 J

4. A vibrating body possesses:

(a) chemical energy
(b) sound energy
(c) light energy
(d) heat energy

5. If 10 N of force is applied to an object, but the object does not move, then
how much work being done by the force?

(a) Zero
(b) 10 J
(c) 20 J
(d) 10 N

6. If two stones A and B are droped from a tower, then which one has
maximum kinetic energy?

(a) Lighter stone

(b) Heavier stone
(c) Both have equal
(d) None of these

7. Water stored in a dam possesses :

(a) no energy
(b) electrical energy
(c) kinetic energy
(d) potential energy
8. In solar cell, light energy is:

(a) converted into heat energy

(b) converted into mechanical energy
(c) converted into electrical energy
(d) converted into nuclear energy

9. A horse does 5000 J of work in 100 s. The power possessed by it is:

(a) 50 W
(b) 50 J
(c) 10 W
(d) 10 J

10. An aeroplane is flying at an altitude of 10,000 m at a speed of 300 km/hr.

The aeroplane at this height has:

(a) only kinetic energy

(b) only potential energy
(c) zero kinetic and potential energy
(d) both kinetic and potential energy

11. When the speed of a moving object is doubled, then its kinetic energy:

(a) remain same

(b) decreases
(c) is doubled
(d) becomes four times

12. The energy conversion in a washing machine is from:

(a) magnetic to electrical energy

(b) electrical to mechanical energy
(c) electrical to magnetic energy
(d) magnetic to electrical energy