Work and Energy (Tutorial)

1. Define the work done and energy in mechanical engineering.

2. A horse pulls a cart offering 600N resistance for a distance of 200 m at a constant velocity.
(i)
The work done by the horse
(ii)
The total work done by moving the wagon 200 m.
Answer: (i) 120 kJ
(ii) 0J

3. A man cleaning a floor pulls a vacuum cleaner with a force of magnitude F =50.0 N at an
angle of 30.0 with the horizontal as shown below. Calculate the work done by the force on
the vacuum cleaner as the vacuum cleaner is displaced 3.00 m to the right.
Answer: 130J

4. A man wishes to load a refrigerator onto a truck using as ramp, as shown below. He claims
that less work would be required to load the truck if the length L of the ramp were increased.
Is his statement valid?

MIET7296 Apply Scientific Principles

College of Science, Engineering and Health
School of Engineering (TAFE)

Class Notes
1

Prepared by Yadana Wai

5. In the sport of pole vaulting, the jumpers centre of mass must clear the pole. Assume that a
59-kg jumper must raise the centre of mass from 1.1 m off the ground to 4.6 m off the ground.
What is the jumpers gravitational potential energy at the top of the bar relative to where the
jumper started to jump?
Answer: 2 kJ
6. Find the kinetic energy of a 48-g dart travelling at a speed of 3.4 m/s.
Answer: 0.28J

MIET7296 Apply Scientific Principles

College of Science, Engineering and Health
School of Engineering (TAFE)

Class Notes
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Prepared by Yadana Wai

7. If the speed of an object is doubled then its kinetic energy is _______.

(a) Doubled
(b) Halved
(c) Tripled
(d) Quadrupled
8. An iron sphere of mass 30 kg has the same diameter as an aluminium sphere whose mass is
10.5 kg. The spheres are dropped simultaneously from a cliff. When they are 10 m from the
ground, they have the same _______.
(a) Kinetic energy
(b) Potential energy
(c) Acceleration
(d) Momentum
9. A 1 kg mass has a kinetic energy of 1 joule when its speed is _________________.
(a) 0.45 m/s
(b) 1 m/s
(c) 1.4 m/s
(d) 4.4 m/s
10. An object of mass 1 kg has gravitational potential energy of 1 joule relative to the ground
when it is at a height of _______.
(a) 0.102 m
(b) 1 m
(c) 9.8m
(d) 32m
11. Kinetic energy can be described as ______________.
(a) Stored energy
(b) Energy in motion
(c) A chemical reaction
(d) Connected energy
12. An example of Potential Energy would be __________
(a) Moving car
(b) A battery
(c) A book resting on a table
(d) Both (b) and (c)
13. Greg applies a force of 100 N to move a box 5 meters. How much work did he do?
(a) 100 J
(b) 5 J
(c) 500 J
(d) 500 N

MIET7296 Apply Scientific Principles

College of Science, Engineering and Health
School of Engineering (TAFE)

Class Notes
3

Prepared by Yadana Wai

14. Which of the following is true at the point where you reach the top of your jump on a
trampoline?
(a) The mechanical energy is zero.
(b) The potential energy is at a maximum.
(c) The kinetic energy and potential energy are equal.
(d) The potential energy is zero.
15. What is the ability to do work called?
(a) Movement
(b) Power
(c) Energy
(d) Force
16. Why are you not doing any work when you are carrying your backpack to class at a constant
speed?
17. Compare energy and work. What does one have to do with the other?
18. What are two things that must happen for work to be done?
19. A worker does 25 J of work lifting a bucket, then sets the bucket back down in the same place.
What is the total net work done on the bucket?
(a) 25 J
(b) 25J
(c) 0J
(d) 50J
20. A horizontal force of 200 N is applied to move a 55 kg television set across a 10 m level
surface. What is the work done by the 200 N force on the television set?
(a) 550J
(b) 6000J
(c) 2000J
(d) 11000J
21. What is the kinetic energy of a 0.135 kg baseball thrown at 40.0 m/s?
(a) 54.0 J
(b) 108 J
(c) 87.0 J
(d) 216 J
22. Gravitational potential energy is always measured in relation to _____________.
(a) Kinetic energy
(b) Total potential energy
(c) Mechanical energy
(d) A zero level

MIET7296 Apply Scientific Principles

College of Science, Engineering and Health
School of Engineering (TAFE)

Class Notes
4

Prepared by Yadana Wai

23. An object weighing 15 newtons is lifted from the ground to a height of 0.22 meter. The
increase in the objects gravitational potential energy is approximately ___________.
(a) 310J
(b) 32 J
(c) 3.3J
(d) 0.34J
24. As an object falls freely, the kinetic energy of the object __________.
(a) Decreases
(b) Increases
(c) Remain the same
25. It is given that 1 gallon gasoline has energy content of 125,000 BTU and 1 BTU ~ 1,000 J
(actually 1,055.056 J). Suppose the energy in gasoline was converted completely into kinetic
energy of a 1000 kg car. How fast would the car be going after burning 1 gallon of gas?
(a) 5 m/s
(b) 10 m/s
(c) 50 m/s
(d) 100 m/s
(e) 500 m/s

MIET7296 Apply Scientific Principles

College of Science, Engineering and Health
School of Engineering (TAFE)

Class Notes
5

Prepared by Yadana Wai