ENERGY, WORK , POWER AND MACHINES

Content

Specific objectives 1. Forms of energy and energy transformations

By the end of this topic, the leaner should be able to: 2. Sources of energy

a) Describe energy transformations  Renewable

b) State the law of conservation of energy  Non- renewable

c) Define work, energy, power and state their SI 3. Law conservation of energy
units
4. Work ,energy and power (work done by resolved
d) Define mechanical advantage velocity ratio and force not required)
efficiency of machines
5. Kinetic and potential energy
e) Solve numerical problems involving
work, energy, power and machines. 6. Simple machines

7. Problems on work, energy, power and machines

Energy  Note: potential energy is the energy

possessed by a body due to its relative position
ii. Energy is the capacity to do work. The SI unit of or state while kinetic energy is the one
energy is the joule (J) after the physicist James possessed by a body due to its motion.
Prescott Joule who was also a brewer.
Conservation and Transformation of Energy
Sources of Energy
The Law of Conservation of Energy
iii. They are classified into renewable and
nonrenewable sources.  This law states that “Energy can neither be
created nor destroyed but can only be
iv. Renewable sources transformed from one form to another.”
 These are sources whose supply can be renewed Energy Transformation
again and again for use. Examples are; water,
solar, wind, geothermal etc.  Any device that facilitates the transformation of
energy from one form to another is called a
v. Non-renewable sources transducer. The following are some examples:
 These are sources of energy whose supply cannot
be renewed again and again for use. Examples are;  Note: Energy transformations
Final are represented by
fossils, firewood, nuclear source etc. Initial
form of Transducer
Forms of Energy form of
energy
energy
 The various forms of energy include: Solar Heat Solar panel
o Mechanical (potential and kinetic) Electrical Kinetic Motor
Kinetic Electrical Dynamo
o Chemical – stored in batteries and foods Solar Electrical Solar cell
o Electrical
Heat Electrical Thermocouple
electrical Sound Loudspeaker
o Light chemical Electrical Battery
charts.
o Nuclear

o Wave
 Examples Examples
Describe the energy transformation that takes place 1. Calculate the amount of work done by:
in each of the following:
a) A machine lifting a load of mass 50 kg
a) A car battery is used to light a bulb through a vertical distance of 2.4m

Solution

b) Coal is used to generate electricity work done, W = force, F × distance work done =
mg × distance
= (50 × 10)N × 2.4 m = 1200 J

2. A laborer who carries a load of mass 42kg to a height

c) A pendulum bob swing to and fro of 4.0m

d) Water at the top of a waterfall falls and Solution

its temperature rises on reaching the bottom
work done, W = force, F × distance

work done = mg × distance

Work and Energy a) = (42 × 10)N × 4.0 m = 1680 J

 Work is defined as the product of force and distance 3. A man of mass 70 kg walks up a track inclined
moved in the direction of application of the force. at an angle of 300 to the horizontal. If he walks 20
m, how much work does he do?

work done, W = force, F × distance moved in

the direction of Solution

the applied force, d

W=F×d

Work is therefore said to be done when an applied force

makes the point of application of the force move in the
direction of the force. No work is done when a person
pushes a wall until he sweats or carrying a bag of work done, W = force, F × distance
cement on his head for hours while standing.
work done = mg × distance, h

 The SI unit of work is the joule (J). = (70 × 10)N × (20 sin 30)m = 7000 J
1 joule (J) = 1 newton metre (Nm)
Exercise
N/B: Joule is the work done when the point of 1. A girl of mass 40 kg walks up a flight 10 steps. If each
application of a force of 1 newton moves through 1 step is 40 cm high, calculate the work done by the
girl.
metre in the direction of the force.
2. A body is acted upon by a varying force F over
Notes: a distance of 35 m as shown in the figure
below.
I. Work done is equivalent to energy converted
while doing work.

II. The area under force-distance graph represents

work done by the force or energy converted.
 Calculate the total work done by force

Sometimes work is not done even if there is an

applied force. Describe some situations when this can happen.

Variation of K.E and P.E for A Body Projected

Upwards
Gravitational Potential Energy
 Consider a body of mass m projected vertically
 This is the energy possessed by a body due to its upwards. Gravitational force is the only force
height above some surface. Consider a block acting on it, assuming negligible air resistance.
of mass m raised through the height hthe As it raises kinetic energy decreases since the
ground. At that height the block has velocity decreases (the body decelerates
gravitational potential energy. upwards). At the same time, the potential energy
of the body increases and becomes maximum at
the highest point, where K.E is zero. As the
body falls from the highest point, P.E
decreases while
K.E increases. The curves for variation of K.E and
P.E of the body with time are shown below.

Potential energy, P.E gained = work done in raising the blockP.E

= weight of the block X height

P.E = mgh

Elastic Potential Energy

 This is the energy stored in a stretched or

compressed spring. The energy is equal to work
done in stretching or compressing the spring.  Therefore, at any given points;
work done = Force × distance moved in direction of total energy, E = P.E + K.E = Constant.

force work done = Average Force × change in length of

Examples
 A stone of mass 2.5 kg is released from a height of 5.0 m
spring above the ground:

a) Calculate the velocity of the stone just before it strikes

the ground.

b) At what velocity will the stone hit the ground if a

constant air resistance force of 1.0 N acts on it as
it
falls?

Solution
1
a) mgh = mv2
2
1
2.5 × 10 × 5.0 = × 2.5 × v2
2
Kinetic Energy, K.E
100
v= = 10 ms- 1
 Consider a body of mass m being acted upon by a 1
steady force F. the body accelerates uniformly from
rest to final velocity v in time t seconds. If it covers a
distance s;

work done in accelerating the body

= Force, F × distance,s