E201: Work, Energy and Power

Andrew Jozsef D. Catamisan

1
School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering, Mapúa Institute of Technology
658 Muralla St., Intramuros, Manila City, Philippines
ajdcatamisan@mymail.mapua.edu.ph
Results and Discussion
Table 1: Part 1. Determining the Force, Work and Power of the Fan Cart
Force of the Fan Cart = weight of pan + weight added = 0.343 Newtons
Trial Displacement, S Time, t Work Power
1 0.35 m 0.6921 sec 0.12005 J 0.17346 Watts
2 0.45 m 0.8280 sec 0.15435 J 0.18641 Watts
3 0.55 m 0.9578 sec 0.188465 J 0.19696 Watts
4 0.65 m 1.0775 sec 0.2265 J 0.20641 Watts
Table 1 shows the data gathered in the first part of the experiment using the fan cart to
calculate the work and power. As you can see in this table, as we increase the displacement of the
cart, the longer the time it takes for it to reach the end and the more power and work it takes to
move the said cart.

Table 2: Part 2. Work by a Force on a Curved Path

Length of string, L = 0.275 Weight of mass, w = 2.94 N Initial height ho = 0.19 m
m
Trial Force Final Increase Angle, Displacement, Work Gravitational
Height, in height, 𝜃 X potential
hf h energy
1 2.6 N 0.20 m 0.01 m 20° 0.08 m 0.04876 J 0.0294 J
2 3.26 N 0.25 m 0.06 m 40° 0.13 m 0.18815 J 0.1764 J
3 4.8 N 0.31 m 0.12 m 60° 0.18 m 0.40425 J 0.3528 J
4 7.24 N 0.38 m 0.19 m 80° 0.23 m 0.66812 J 0.5586 J
Table 2 shows the data gathered during the second part of the experiment by
suspending a hanging mass on certain angles to fin the work along a curved path. Just as
the first part of the experiment, as we increase the angle of the hanging mass, the force,
work and gravitational potential energy all increase.

Conclusions
As both parts of the experiment is completed, the data has been gathered and all
needed computations are successfully accomplished, the group is ready to come up with a
conclusion to the experiment.
With the data in Table 1, I therefore conclude that the Displacement is directly
proportional to the Time, Work and the Power. An increase in the distance an object has
to travel increases the Time, Work and the Power needed to complete the action. This was
tried and tested using the fan cart in four different trials and increasing the displacement
by 0.10 m.
 With the data in Table 2, I therefore conclude that as with part 1, increasing either
the Angle or the Force exerted on the hanging mass will indeed increase both the Work
and the Gravitational Potential Energy, making them directly proportional. Because of the
results of the first part of the experiment, the group came to the hypothesis that the same
results will also occur with the second part but the group had to be sure and so we
conducted the experiment and did come up with the same results, further giving credibility
to the result of the first part of the experiment.
With the results of both parts of the experiment, it is safe to declare that the
𝑊
formula 𝑊 = 𝐹 ∙ 𝑆 is correct along with 𝑃 = 𝑡 .
References
Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (1998, 7 20). Work. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/science/work-physics
Editors of The Physics Classroom. (2016). Power. Retrieved from The Physics Classroom:
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/energy/Lesson-1/Power
Editors of The Physics Hypertextbook. (2017). Energy. Retrieved from The Physics Hypertextbook:
http://physics.info/energy/