Aidan lifts a box from the floor, carries it across the room, and places it on a high shelf. When is Aidan doing work on the box?
a
He does work as he picks up the box and as he lifts it to the shelf.
b
He does work from the moment he touches the box until he lets it go.
c
He does work on the box at no time during this process.
d
He does work only while he carries the box across the room.
a. He does work as he picks up the box and as he lifts it to the shelf.
a) He does work as he picks up the box and as he lifts it to the shelf.
To determine when Aidan is doing work on the box, we need to understand the definition of work in physics. According to the scientific definition, work is done on an object when a force is applied to the object, causing it to move in the direction of the force.
In this scenario, Aidan is lifting the box from the floor and carrying it across the room, and finally placing it on a high shelf. Let's analyze each action:
1. Lifting the box from the floor: When Aidan lifts the box, he is exerting a force on the box in an upward direction, opposing the gravitational force pulling the box down towards the floor. Since Aidan's force causes the box to move in the upward direction, work is being done by Aidan on the box.
2. Carrying the box across the room: While Aidan is carrying the box, he is exerting a force to counteract the gravitational force pulling the box downwards. The box is not moving in the direction of the force, as Aidan's force is directed horizontally, and the box is being lifted vertically. Therefore, no work is done by Aidan on the box during this part.
3. Placing the box on the high shelf: When Aidan places the box on the high shelf, he is again exerting a force on the box in an upward direction, opposing the gravitational force pulling the box down towards the floor. Since Aidan's force causes the box to move in the upward direction, work is being done by Aidan on the box.
Based on the analysis, the correct answer is:
a) He does work as he picks up the box and as he lifts it to the shelf.