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Physics 311, Quiz #9

Question 1: A force F pushes a ball as the ball moves a displacement s. The ball

  1. speeds up
  2. slows down
  3. neither
    Answer: it speeds up, since the work done by the force during the
	         displacement, F dot s, is positive

Question 2: A force F pushes a ball as the ball moves a displacement s. The ball

  1. speeds up
  2. slows down
  3. neither
    Answer: neither, since vectors F and s are perpendicular:
	         the dot product of F and s is zero.

Question 3: Estimate the work done on the ball due to the force as the ball moves as shown.

    Answer: the work done on the ball by the force is 

                work  =  F dot s

                      =  F * s * cos(angle between)

            The angle between the vectors is about 110 degrees,
            which is more than 90 degrees -- so the work done will
            be negative.

                      =  something between -15 Joules and 0 Joules


This page maintained by Michael Richmond. Last modified Jan 29, 2002.

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.