Question

Matthew pulls a wagon across the floor (assume no friction), with a force of 20.0 N at an angle of 25° above the horizontal. If he pulls the wagon a distance of 12.0 m, what is the work done by Matthew?

Answer 1

The work W done by a constant force F applied at an angle θ from the displacement d that a particle undegoes under the influence of the force F, is:

`W=Fd\cos\theta`

In this case, the angle is equal to 25º, the magnitude of the foce is 20.0N and the displacement is equal to 12.0m. Then, the work done by Matthew is:

`W=(20.0N)(12.0m)\cos(25º)=217.514...J`

Therefore, the work done by Matthew is approximately 218J.