Question

Martha must carry a 45 N package up three flights of stairs. Each flight of stairs has a height of 2.3m, and the actual distance of a diagonal path she walks up the stairs is 10 m. What is the total work done on the package?

Answer 1

310.5 J

Step-by-step explanation:

The total work done by Martha is equal to the increase in gravitational potential energy of the package, which is equal to

`\Delta U = mg\Delta h`

where

(mg) = 45 N is the weight of the package

`\Delta h` is the increase in height of the package

The package is carried up 3 flights of stairs, each one with a height of 2.3 m, so the total increase in heigth is

`\Delta h = 3 \cdot 2.3 m=6.9 m`

And so, the work done by Martha is

`U=(45 N)(6.9 m)=310.5 J`