Work Is Force Times Distance

Work = Force times Distance = Free energy

Work is defined as force times distance. Work is a mensurate of the energy expended in applying a force to move an object.^East.9

The work required to compress a spring through a displacement of meters, starting from residue, is so

$\displaystyle W_k(x) = \int_0^x k\, \xi\, d\xi = \frac{1}{2} k x^2. \protect$

(E.six)

Work can also be negative. For instance, when uncompressing an ideal spring, the (positive) work done past the spring on its moving stop support can exist interpreted also as saying that the stop support performs negative piece of work on the spring as information technology allows the spring to uncompress. When negative work is performed, the driving system is e'er accepting free energy from the driven system. This is all simply accounting. Physically, one normally considers the driver as the agent performing the positive work, i.e., the one expending energy to move the driven object. Thus, when assuasive a leap to uncompress, we consider the bound as performing (positive) work on whatever is attached to its moving finish.

During a sinusoidal mass-spring oscillation, equally derived in §Due east.i.5, each menses of the oscillation can be divided into equal sections during which either the mass does work on the spring, or vice versa.

Gravity, leap forces, and electrostatic forces are examples of conservative forces. Conservative forces take the property that the piece of work required to move an object from point to indicate , either with or confronting the strength, depends but on the locations of points and in infinite, not on the path taken from to .