Question

A force of 20 newtons is required to push a 30 kg cart 40 meters across a room. From this effort, how many joules of work are performed?

Answer 1

Answer: 800 Joules

Step-by-step explanation:

The Work
`W` done by a Force
`F` refers to the release of potential energy from a body that is moved by the application of that force to overcome a resistance along a path with distance
`d`.

Work is a scalar, and its unit in the International System of Units is the Joule (like energy). Therefore, 1 Joule is the work done by a force of 1 Newton when moving an object, in the direction of the force, along 1 meter:

`1J=(1N)(1m)=Nm`

Now, when the applied force is constant and the direction of the force and the direction of the movement are parallel (as this case), the equation to calculate it is:

`W=(F)(d)`

Where:

`F=20 N`

`d=40 m`

Then:

`W=(20 N)(40 m)`

`W=800 Nm=800 J`