Whether we are talking about a factory worker inventing the wheel, a nurse saving a patient’s life or a construction worker building a skyscraper, work plays an important role in our lives. It is not only what provides us with money and other material possessions but also keeps our bodies healthy, our mind happy and our souls fulfilled.
We need to be mindful about how and where we do our work because the type of job we have can affect our health in both negative and positive ways. For example, if we are working in a toxic environment like a coal mine or are suffering from an abusive boss, our mental and physical health can be negatively affected. On the other hand, if we work from home or can choose what hours to work and where, our health can be positively improved.
A lot of people don’t think about this and tend to take their jobs for granted, but there is actually a very strong connection between our work and our overall health. For instance, if we have to commute long distances, our body is constantly getting tired and stressed out which can have a huge effect on our health. On the other hand, if we have flexible work schedules or can choose our own hours, we can have more time for exercise and sleep which will improve our mental and physical health.
The basic concept of work is that it is a transfer of energy (usually measured in terms of joules) from one object to another. It can be mechanical work, but it can also be chemical work, magnetic work, surface tension work and more. It is basically a force applied over a displacement and tells you how much did that force contribute to the motion of the object.
When we talk about work in physics, we usually refer to the change in energy of an object. This energy can be either potential or kinetic, as well as thermal or pressure. This change in energy can be achieved through various mechanisms, such as friction, gravitational forces, electromagnetism or nuclear reactions.
It is important to remember that work only occurs when there is a net change in the energy of the object, and that all the force components must be acting in the direction of the movement of the object. The net change in energy is the area under the curve (W) which is given by F(x) – v(x)
This is why it’s important to always include the angle between the force and the displacement. Since the forces often act at an angle, some of the force is “wasted” and does no work at all. Obviously, the greater the angle between the force and the displacement, the less work is done. This is why it is said that no work is done by a centripetal force. For example, the force that holds a ball in a circular motion is constant and does no work. However, if you were to fire a cannonball into deep space, the force that is keeping it moving will continue to do work over millions of light years.
