Experiment 4: Work, Power, and Energy

Monica Policina, Marie Pamela Celestine Pua Phee,

Maria Charmella Relopez, Anna Paula San Pedro

Department of Biological Sciences

College of Science, University of Santo Tomas
España, Manila Philippines
Abstract of a machine is unchanged no matter any
transformation or maybe rotation of the
Work is done whenever force moves
coordinate systems. In other words, every
an object over a distance, denoted by the unit
time, and however, energy is transformed
Joules (J). The change in energy is called
from one shape into another, it's far usually
work, and the work completed over a given
conserved. For a closed gadget; (i.e., a gadget
time period is called power. Power was
which does no longer exchange power with
demonstrated and calculated by the use of a
the relaxation of the Universe,) means that
staircase while the Conservation of
the total energy of the device in question need
Mechanical Energy was determined through
to continue to be steady in time.
the graphs of a ball tossed straight up.
The objectives of the experiment are
Introduction
to demonstrate the conservation of
The theory of energy is applicable to mechanical energy, to measure the change in
Physics as many times the evaluation of a kinetic and potential energies as ball moves
system’s motion consists of data of how in free fall, and to determine the power output
strength is changing. The change in energy is when going up and down the staircase.
called work, and the work completed over a
Theory
given time period is called power. [1]
Widespread thoughts approximately power Activity 1: Power
and its conservation permeate the whole of
The first activity was done to study
science (and, clearly, the complete of
work and power and the principle behind it.
science). Many specific
The relationship of weight and work was
effects in distinct areas of science end
shown in this experiment.
up examples of strength conservation, e.g.
Lenz’s law in electromagnetism, Bernoulli’s A work is done whenever force
equation of fluid go with the flow. moves an object over a distance. It has the
unit of Joules (J). It can be calculated using
Energy can take many different
the formula:
bureaucracy: resting or potential, kinetic,
thermal, chemical, electrical, nuclear, etc. In 𝑊 = 𝐹𝐷 sin 𝜃
reality, the entirety that we look at around us Where,
represents one of the several manifestations
F = force exerted on an object
of energy.[2] But, these kinds of processes go
away the total quantity of energy in the D = displacement
Universe invariant; that is, the overall energy θ = angle between F & D
Power is the rate at which work is done. The
standard metric unit for power is Watt (W). It
can be computed by the formula
𝑊
𝑃=
𝑡
Where,
W = work done
t = time of travel
Figure 1. PE vs time graph, and KE vs time
Activity 2: Energy of a Tossed Ball graph
For a moving object, energy is in the
form of kinetic energy. Simply put, kinetic
energy (KE) is the energy in motion and it can
be defined by the equation:
1
𝐾𝐸 = 𝑚𝑣 2
2 Figure 2. TME vs time graph
2
Where v is the velocity of the object
For a ball thrown vertically up, the
squared. The equation states that KE is
KE vs time graph is shown as a vertical
dependent on two quantities, mass and
parabola opening upwards (Figure 1. A & B).
velocity, that is, increasing either the mass or
As the ball is thrown upwards, the kinetic
the velocity of the object increases the kinetic
energy is decreasing since the velocity of the
energy of that object. [3]
ball as it reaches the maximum height is close
For a steady object, energy is in the to zero. The ball, after reaching the maximum
form of potential energy. Potential energy height, falls down with increasing velocity
(PE) is stored energy in an object with a due to the pull of the earth or the acceleration
velocity of zero. It can be expressed in the due to gravity. The kinetic energy is thus
equation: increasing as it falls down and the maximum
velocity is reached as it hits the ground.
𝑃𝐸 = 𝑚𝑔ℎ
The PE vs time graph, on the other
The sum of the two energies is called
hand, is the opposite of the KE vs time graph,
the total mechanical energy (TME) so that
that is, the vertical parabola is opening
𝑇𝑀𝐸 = 𝐾𝐸 + 𝑃𝐸 downwards (Figure 1. B & C). As the ball
reaches the maximum height, the ball
velocity reaches zero, that is, it becomes
steady at that particular height. Thus, the
potential energy at the maximum height is the
maximum potential energy that the ball
possesses. In contrast with the kinetic energy
of the ball, the potential energy when the ball software, the potential energy versus time,
hits the ground is close to zero. kinetic energy versus time, and total
mechanical energy versus time graphs were
The principle of conservation of
graphed. These were compared with the
mechanical energy states that the total
predicted graphs.
mechanical energy of an object remains
constant as the object moves. [5]That is, KE1
+ PE1 = KE2 + PE2, where both the KE and Results and Discussion
PE are energies of a moving object at
different points in time. For a ball thrown Activity 1: Power
upward, the TME versus time graph is a
straight line since there is a conservation of Vertical distance between second floor and
third floor: 4.802m
energy at different points in time.
Table 1. Weight, Work, Time and Power
Member 1 2 3 4
Methodology Weight
559N 496N 744.8N 480N
(N)
In the first activity, the weight of each Work in
-2684.3 -2141.7 -3577.5 -2305.0
member was measured. Then, each member Going up
J J J J
(J)
was tasked to take note the time of their travel
Time to go
as the go down the stairs from the third floor 6.93 s 5.71 s 6.97 s 5.92 s
up (s)
to the second floor of the Main Building, the Power
time of each member of the group as they go output in -387.3 -375.1 -513.3 -389.4
going up W W W W
up from the second to the third floor was also (W)
noted. To determine the vertical distance (h) Work in
between the second floor and the third floor, going 2684.3J 2141.7J 3577.5J 2305.0J
the group devised a way. After, the work and down (J)
Time to go
the power output of each member going up 6.12 s 5.32 s 5.82 s 5.26 s
down (s)
and down was calculated. The most powerful Power
person in the group was determined. output in
438.6 W 402.6 W 614.7 W 438.2 W
going
For the second activity, the energy of down (W)
a tossed ball was calculated. The materials
needed were a ball weighing 0.76 kg, a The results shown in Table 1
motion detector with a protective wire, and a are the values computed for the weight, work,
and power output in going up and down the
computer. Sketches of prediction graphs were
stairs. The values for time to go up and down
made before proceeding with the activity.
the stairs were obtained by using a stopwatch.
Subsequently, the motion detector was Work can be negative or positive depending
connected to the DIG/SONIC1 Channel of on the direction of the force and the
the interface, and was placed on the floor. displacement of the object. If the force has a
The ball was placed 50.0 cm directly above component in the same direction as the
from the motion detector. The ball was tossed displacement, then work is positive.
straight up once the motion detector begins to Whereas, if the force and displacement are
collect data. Finally, using the Logger Pro not in the same direction, then the force does
negative work. [1] Since going down the
stairs has a downward direction and the force Figure 5. Prediction Graph for Total
of gravitation is acting in the downward Mechanic Energy versus Time
direction also, the work done is positive.
However, if the student is going up the stairs,
which has a displacement of an upward

Kinetic Energy (KE)

direction, while the force of gravity is acting
in the downward direction, the work done is
negative. [2]

Activity 2: Energy of a Tossed Ball (Physics

with Computers)
The second activity is involved with
Time
the graphs of potential energy, kinetic energy,
and total mechanical energy versus time of a Figure 6. Combined graphs generated by
tossed ball. Logger Pro Software.

Figure 3. Prediction Graph for Potential

Energy versus Time
Potential Energy (PE)

Time When the ball is tossed straight up, it

Figure 4. Prediction Graph for Kinetic achieves maximum potential energy at its
Energy versus Time highest point, and increasing kinetic energy
as it approaches the motion detector. The
graph of the potential energy versus time is a
Kinetic Energy (KE)

parabola opening downwards while that of

the kinetic energy versus time is a parabola
opening upward. The total mechanical energy
versus time shows a straight line, indicating
that it is constant for the whole duration.
However, an accurate graph was not obtained
due to an existing air resistance during the
Time activity and systematic errors caused by the
person performing the activity.
Application
1. Compare the work that you do when you
go upstairs to the work you do in going
downstairs. Based on this, can you explain
why it is more difficult to go upstairs than
downstairs?
The results showed that it is difficult
to go upstairs than to go down, it is mainly
because of the pull of gravity. Since the force
of gravity is directed downward (-9.8 m/s2),
it requires more work when going up and less
when going down.
2. A certain professor finds it easy to go
upstairs from the ground floor to the third
floor of the main Building by going up the
second floor using the main stairs, walking
along the corridor of the accounting division
and using the side stairs to go to the third
floor. Is there a basis to this from the point of
view of physics?
Yes, and it is due to the steepness of
the stairs. It is much more difficult to use a
stair with more inclination as you tend to be
more precautious and avoid any accident
which results to a greater effort and longer
time.
3. It is 5 minutes before your 7:00AM class in
the fourth floor and you are still in the ground
floor. Will you run or walk upstairs in order
not to be late? Assume that your power output
is 15 watts and 20 watts when walking and
running, respectively. The vertical distance
between the ground floor and the fourth floor
is 12m and that you weigh 750N.
To solve this problem, the time elapsed
when running or walking must be computed.
This can be computed by multiplying your
weight (750 N) by the distance between the
ground floor and the fourth floor (12 m), then
divided by the power you used while walking
(15 Watts), which is equal to 600 seconds or
10 minutes. This is shown in the equation
below:
750𝑁 (12𝑚)
15 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠
= 600 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑟 10 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠
To calculate the time it would take
when running, the solution is similar from the
equation above but the value for the power
output is 20 Watts. Now, the equation would
be:
750𝑁 (12𝑚)
20 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠
= 450 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑟 7.5 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠
Based from this calculation, there is a
slight difference in the time between the two
scenarios. Of course, if you do run, you
would arrive in the room sooner.
4. An object is thrown vertically up.
Neglecting air resistance, how is the change
in the potential energy of the object related to
the change in its kinetic energy?
Potential energy (PE) is height-
dependent, which means that when a ball is
thrown upward, its potential energy
increases, and at the highest point its PE is
denoted by the formula 𝑃𝐸 = 𝑚𝑔ℎ where m
is the mass of the ball, g as the acceleration
due to gravity, and h as maximum height
travelled by the ball. Kinetic energy is
1
denoted by 𝐾𝐸 = 2 𝑚𝑣 2 . When the ball is at
its highest point it is where the KE = 0, since
the object’s velocity at that point is 0 m/s, and
the kinetic energy is converted to the
potential energy. Thus, when a ball is thrown
upward the change in potential energy equal
to the change in kinetic energy.
References:
[1]Ford, A., Freedman, R., Young, H.
(2012). Sears and Zemansky’s
University Physics with Modern
Physics. New York, NY: Pearson
Learning.
[2]Stewart, J. (2003). Early Transcendentals
Single Variable Calculus. Canada,
CA: Thomson Learning.
[3]Zeitlin, J. (2003). SAT II: Physics.
Canada, CA: Kaplan Publishing.
[4]Cutnell, J. D., & Johnson, K. W. (2013).
Introduction to Physics (9th ed.).
Hoboken: Wiley.
[5] Work and Energy. (1999). Retrieved
from
http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/py105/E
nergy.html
[6] Positive and Negative Work. (n.d.).
Retrieved from
http://tutor4physics.com/positiveneg
ativework.htm