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What is work?
What happens when a rocket is launched into space? When the rockets engines are fired, chemical energy in the fuel is transferred to kinetic energy in the rocket. This transfer of energy is called work.

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Work and energy

What is the link between work and energy?

work done = energy transferred

This means the units for work are the same as the units for energy joules. For example, if a person does 500 J of work, then 500 J of energy is transferred. In the same way, if a person transfers 250 J of energy, then 250 J of work is done.

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What factors affect work done?

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How is work calculated?

The work done on an object can be calculated using this equation:

work done = force x distance moved

Force is measured in newtons (N). Distance moved is measured in metres (m). Work done is measured in joules (j).

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Factors affecting work done

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Calculating work done question 1

A cyclist peddles a bicycle with a force of 1,000 N moving it 250 m. How much work has been done by the cyclist? work = force x distance done = 1,000 x 250

= 250,000 J = 250 kJ

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Calculating work done question 2

A car engine moves a car with a force of 10 kN and does 500 kJ of work. How far has the car travelled?

work done = force x distance

work done distance = force

= 500,000 / 10,000 = 50 m
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Work, force, distance calculations

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Work and energy: true or false?

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Powerful cranes

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Which is most powerful?

Power is the rate at which work is done. A more powerful engine therefore does work (i.e. transfers energy) faster than a less powerful engine.

Both these planes are about the same mass but the jet has more powerful engines.
This means that chemical energy in the fuel can be transferred to kinetic energy faster so it will have greater acceleration and a higher top speed.
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How is power calculated?

The power exerted by an object can be calculated using one of two equations:

work done power = time taken

Work done is measured in joules (J).

Time is measured in seconds (s).

Power is measured in watts (W). Remember that work done = energy transferred.
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Calculating power question 1

A lawnmower engine does 10 kJ of work in 10 seconds. What is the power of the engine?

power =

work done time

= 10,000 / 10 = 1,000 W = 1 kW

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Calculating power question 2

A car transfers 12 mJ of energy in 2 minutes. What is the power of the car?

power =

work done time

energy transfer time

= 12,000,000 / 120

= 100,000 W = 100 kW
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Power, work and time calculations

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More power!
What advantages and disadvantages are there in using a more powerful machine?

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How is power related to fuel consumption?

Which plane will consume fuel the fastest? The jet plane will have a higher fuel consumption than the propeller plane because its engines are more powerful. A higher-powered engine will consume fuel more quickly than a lower-powered engine because it transfers energy at a faster rate. However, more work will be done in the same time.
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Why is fuel consumption important?

In what situations might fuel consumption be an important consideration? When buying a car, its fuel consumption (measured in miles per gallon mpg) is an important factor to think about. This is because cars with a higher fuel consumption are: more expensive to run due to increased need to refuel, as well as higher road taxes more polluting due to higher carbon dioxide emissions the higher the emissions, the greater the road tax. What factors might affect the fuel consumption of a car?
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Factors affecting fuel consumption

All car manufacturers publish data on the fuel consumption on their cars, usually for two different speeds (e.g. urban and motorway). These figures are, however, based on ideal driving conditions and are unlikely to be achieved in real-world driving. The fuel consumption of a specific car will vary with factors including: its speed, and the amount of harsh acceleration and braking the number of passengers and amount of luggage it is carrying the quality of the road surface.
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Glossary fuel consumption The amount of fuel used by an

engine, and which increases with more powerful engines.

joule The unit of work and energy. power The rate at which work is done, or energy is
transferred.

watt The unit of power.

work The energy transferred to an object by a force and

which results in movement.

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Anagrams

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Multiple-choice quiz

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