Question

A shopper pushes a grocery cart 20.0 m at constant speed. What is the net work done on the cart during this process?

a) Zero
b) Positive
c) Negative
d) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The net work done on the grocery cart is zero (a) because the force applied by the shopper to push the cart is perpendicular to the displacement of the cart, so no work is done.

Step-by-step explanation:

The net work done on the grocery cart is zero (a), because work is only done if there is a non-zero force in the direction of displacement. In this case, the force applied by the shopper to push the cart is perpendicular to the displacement of the cart, so no work is done.