Question

Mike and Joe are brothers who often argue about whom is the strongest. While moving a refrigerator, Mike and Joe decide to push against opposite sides of it to see which direction it will move. They begin pushing as hard as they can. Soon, the refrigerator begins to move slowly to the right. Which of the follow statements is true?

A- mike and joe preformed the same amount of work
B- only mike preformed work
C- only joe preformed work
D- neither mike nor joe preformed any work

Answer 1

B. But it depends on what side they are on.

Answer 2

Both of the brothers performed work. The one who pushed with a greater force did more work, and it had a positive sign. The one who pushed with a smaller force did less work, and it was also technically "negative" work, because the motion of the fridge was in the direction opposite to his force.

Now that THAT's settled, they ought to quit fridging around, and get that thing moved like their father asked them to do.