A graph of the force on an object as a function of its position is shown in the
ID: 2140406 • Letter: A
Question
A graph of the force on an object as a function of its position is shown in the figure. Determine the amount of work done by this force on an object that moves fromx = 2.0 m to x = 8.0 m. (Assume an accuracy of 2 significant figures for the numbers on the graph.)
29J 39 J 30 J 35 J 38 J
Explanation / Answer
Work is the area under the curve.
First find the area under the curve from 3m-8m. This is the area of the box with length (8-3) and height 6.
(8-3)x6= 30J
Now you just need the work done from 2-3m
The area here is a box with a triangle on top, so you can divide its area into two pieces.
The area of the box is 1x4=4J
The area of the triangle is 1/2(basexheight)
The base of this little triangle is 1 and thwew height is 2, so the area is 1.
Add up the three areas.
30+4+1=35J