if you push a wall with a force of 50N, the work you do is......
(a)500J
(b)5000J
(c)50J
(d)zero
I will be happy to critique your thinking.
Most walls don't move when you push them. Not with a 50 N (11 pounds) force, anyway.
That should give you a clue to the answer. Review the definition of "work", if you are still confused.
To calculate the work done, you need to use the formula:
Work = Force × Distance × cos(θ)
where:
- Work is the amount of work done (in joules, J)
- Force is the applied force (in newtons, N)
- Distance represents the displacement of the object in the direction of the applied force (in meters, m)
- θ is the angle between the applied force and the direction of motion (or displacement)
In this case, you are pushing a wall, so there is no displacement. The wall remains stationary, and the distance is zero. Therefore, when you plug in the values into the formula:
Work = 50N × 0m × cos(θ)
Working with the equation, since the distance is zero, the overall work done is also zero. Therefore, the correct answer is (d) zero.