Does work transfer energy as the result of motion
Not necessarily. Although work in high school is usually defined as force times displacement in the direction of the force, this is not the most general definition.
Work, by definition, is the change in energy of a system due to a change in an external variable. If that external variable has something to do with changing distances then the work can be interpreted as due to motion.
An example is changing the volume of a gas or changing the position of an object in the gravitational field on the Earth.
In physics we define the "generalized" force as minus the derivative of the energy w.r.t. the external variable. So, unlike taught in high school, force is a derived concept and energy and work are more fundamental.
An example of doing work that does not involve any motion or displacement is
by changing the external magnetic field of a system with some magnetic susceptibility.
In this case the external magnetic field is the external variable, analogous to position of volume. The magnetization is the conjugate force, analogous to pressure or force.
Yes, work can transfer energy as a result of motion. Work is defined as the transfer of energy that occurs when a force is applied to an object, causing displacement in the direction of the force. When an object is moved by a force, work is done on the object, and this work can result in a transfer of energy.
To calculate the work done on an object, you can use the formula:
Work = Force × Distance × cos(θ)
where:
- Force is the magnitude of the force applied to the object
- Distance is the distance over which the force is applied
- θ (theta) is the angle between the force vector and the direction of displacement of the object
If the force and displacement are in the same direction (θ = 0°), the work done is maximum. If the force and displacement are perpendicular (θ = 90°), the work done is zero. If the force and displacement are in opposite directions (θ = 180°), the work done is negative.
When work is done on an object, the energy can be transferred to or from the object. For example, if you push a car, you do work on it, transferring energy to the car, causing it to move. On the other hand, if you apply the brakes on a moving car, the car does work on the brakes, transferring its kinetic energy into heat energy, resulting in the car slowing down.