Can someone please help me?
The brakes of a truck cause it to slow down by applying a retarding force of 2.60 103 N to the truck over a distance of 930 m. What is the magnitude of the work done by this force on the truck?
Is the work positive or negative?
Explain Why?
force*distance=work
isn't force opposite direction than distance?
Of course, I can help you with that! To find the magnitude of the work done by the retarding force on the truck, you need to use the equation:
Work = Force x Distance
In this case, the force is 2.60 × 10^3 N (as stated in the question) and the distance is 930 m. Plugging these values into the equation, we get:
Work = (2.60 × 10^3 N) x (930 m)
To find the answer, we multiply 2.60 × 10^3 N by 930 m. Let's calculate it:
Work = 2.60 × 10^3 N x 930 m
= 2,418,000 N·m
Therefore, the magnitude of the work done by the retarding force on the truck is 2,418,000 N·m.
Now, let's determine if the work is positive or negative. The work is positive when the force and displacement act in the same direction, and negative when they act in opposite directions.
In this case, the truck is slowing down, which means the force exerted by the brakes is opposite to the direction of motion. As a result, the force and displacement act in opposite directions. Therefore, the work done by the retarding force on the truck is negative.
The negative sign in this context indicates that the brake force is doing negative work, meaning it is removing energy from the truck's motion as it slows down.