Question

A man pushes a lawn mower on a level lawn with a force of 211 N. If 50% of this force is directed forward, how much work is done by the man in pushing the mower 5.7 m?

Answer 1

Answer = 601.35 J


First find the amount of force that is directed forwards, where 50% of the 211N resultant force is directed forwards. This is because 50% of the force is directed elsewhere, so you want to find the other 50% of the force that pushes the mower forwards:

211 x 0.5 = 105.5 N


The equation for work done is as follows:

Work done = Force x Distance


Substitute in the values for force and distance:

Force = 105.5 N
Distance = 5.7 m

Work done = 105.5 x 5.7

Work done = 601.35 J