Work is the energy transferred to an object, usually by a force or a displacement. It is commonly represented as the product of force and displacement. However, it is not limited to these two aspects. Instead, it can also be used to describe a process or an effect. Here are some examples of work: (1) a force causes an object to move.
(2) Work can change the person. We can become more creative and adaptable. Developing these capabilities will allow us to create more value for our customers and companies. The future of work does not have to be a one-time re-imagination of work, but rather continuous improvement of existing processes and procedures. In order to accomplish this, we need to harness the inherent human capabilities that make us unique.
(3) A person can be doing work even if they are sitting in a chair. Work can be done by pushing a paper across the desk, for example. However, we should remember that work is any activity that involves exerting force on an object. For example, a frustrated student pushing against a wall is not performing work. In contrast, a person pushing a book across a table might be doing work if the book falls off of the table.
The basic principle of work is that when a force is exerted on an object, the force will cause the object to move. The object must move in response to this force, which requires energy. The basic SI unit of energy is the joule. The joule is equal to one newton meter of force. To calculate the work done on an object by a force, we can multiply the distance between the force and the motion by the component of the force.
In addition to force and displacement, another important factor in work is force direction. The direction of the force and displacement is important, because if the object doesn’t move, the work isn’t done. The truck in the picture below illustrates this principle. Without any force, the truck is not moving and the work is not completed.
The quantity of work performed by a force depends on its direction and magnitude. When the force and displacement are in the same direction, work is positive, while the opposite is negative. If the displacement is smaller than the force, the work is negative. Therefore, it is essential to measure the force and displacement before calculating the displacement.
A force acting on an object can prevent its displacement by acting in the opposite direction. This type of force slows the object down but does not actually cause it to move. If the force is in the opposite direction of motion, it will cause negative work, or work that is equal to no work at all.
