A car is pushed along a long road that is straight, horizontal, and parallel to the x direction.
a)The horizontal force on the car varies with x as shown in the figure. What is the work done on the car by this force? (Let a = 100 N.) _____J
b)What is the work done by gravity on the car? _____J
To determine the work done on the car by the horizontal force and by gravity, we need to understand a few concepts and formulas.
a) Work done by a force:
The work done by a force is calculated using the equation:
Work = Force * Distance * cos(θ)
In this equation, the force represents the magnitude of the applied force, the distance is the displacement of the object in the direction of the force, and θ is the angle between the force and the displacement vector.
Given the figure, if we assume that the force remains constant at a magnitude of 100 N, then the work done can be calculated by multiplying the force by the displacement of the car.
b) Work done by gravity:
The work done by gravity is calculated using a similar formula with a slight modification. For an object moving horizontally, gravity does not have any contribution to the work done since it is acting vertically. Therefore, the work done by gravity on the car is zero.
Now let's proceed with the calculations:
a) Since the horizontal force on the car is constant at 100 N, the work done can be calculated by multiplying the force by the displacement of the car. However, the figure mentioned in the question is missing, so we cannot provide a specific numerical answer. The work done will depend on the distance traveled by the car.
Work = Force * Distance
b) As mentioned earlier, the work done by gravity on the car is zero since gravity does not contribute to the horizontal motion of the car.
Hence, the work done by gravity is 0 J.
Please provide the specific distance or figure mentioned in the question for a more accurate calculation of the work done on the car.