Question

A swimmer moves through the water at 2.5 meters per second and experiences a drag force of 240 N. How much power is she generating?

Answer 1

-- There's a force of 240N pushing her backwards.

-- She's maintaining a steady speed (of 2.5 m/s) .

-- In order to maintain a steady speed (no acceleration),
the forces on her must be balanced. So she's maintaining
a steady force of 240N forward.

-- Every time she moves 1 m forward, she does work of
(force) x (distance) = 240 joules.

-- She moves 2.5 meters forward every second.
So she's doing (240 x 2.5) = 600 joules of work every second.

-- 600 joules per second = 600 watts .