Encyclopedia > Mechanical work

  Article Content

Mechanical work

In Newtonian mechanics, work is a measure of energy expended in applying force over a distance.

For the motion of a body against a constant force, work can be expressed as:

W = F · d (dot product)

<math>
W = \left| \mathbf{F} \right| \cdot \left| s \right| \cdot \cos \alpha </math>

where

  • W : work (energy)
  • F : force
  • d : distance moved

In modern physics, the term energy is generally used to refer to all forms of energy, including mechanical work.

The SI derived unit of work is the Joule. Other units include the erg, the foot-pound and the foot-poundal.

stub alarm



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
Dynabee

... groove in a circular fashion. The groove inside the device, is a little wider than the axis, and the gyroscope's evasive action towards the externally applied force will ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 39.2 ms