Tarzan, who weighs 917 N, swings from a vine through the jungle. How much work is done by the tension in the vine as he drops through a vertical distance of 3.85 m?
Simply calculating;
W=(917N)*(3.85m)= 3530.45 J
Isn't working, I'm not sure how to apply the work equation.
Zero
The tension in the vine is perpendicular to the motion at every point of the path so the vine does NO work. The kinetic energy at the bottom is equal to m g times the drop distance.
Zero
To emphasize because this is vital:
Work done = force component IN THE DIRECTION OF MOTION times the distance moved.
To calculate the work done by the tension in the vine, you need to use the formula for work:
Work = Force * Distance * cos(theta)
In this case, since Tarzan is dropping vertically downward, the angle between the direction of the tension force and the displacement is 0 degrees, so the cos(theta) term is equal to 1.
So the equation simplifies to:
Work = Force * Distance
Now you can substitute the given values:
Force = 917 N
Distance = 3.85 m
Plugging these values into the equation:
Work = 917 N * 3.85 m = 3530.45 J
Therefore, the work done by the tension in the vine as Tarzan drops through a vertical distance of 3.85 m is 3530.45 Joules.