Question

A boy swings a ball on a string at constant speed in a horizontal circle that has a circumference equal to 6 m. What is the work done on the ball by the 10 N tension force in the string during one revolution of the ball?

A.60 J
B.15 J
C.OJ
D.190J
E.30 J

Answer 1

The work done on a ball swung in a circle by the tension force in the string is 0 J because the force is perpendicular to the displacement, resulting in no work being done in the direction of the force.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question concerns the concept of work done in the context of physics. Work is defined as the product of the force applied to an object and the displacement of the object in the direction of the force. In the scenario where a boy swings a ball on a string at constant speed in a horizontal circle with a circumference of 6 m, and a tension force of 10 N is applied, we must evaluate if any work is done according to the definition.

Since the ball is moving in a circle, the displacement in the direction of the tension force is zero. The force is always perpendicular to the displacement because the string tension acts towards the center of the circle (centripetal force), while the displacement of the ball is tangential to the circle. Therefore, the work done on the ball by the tension force in the string over one revolution is 0 J (zero joules), as there is no displacement in the direction of the force. This makes the correct answer C.0J.