- What application do the concepts of Energy, Power, Force and Work have in daily life?
- Energy
- Power
- Force
- Job
- References
The energy, power, strength and work are concepts that are completely interrelated and very present in many of the activities that people do every day.
Energy (E) is defined as the ability of a body to do work. Everything that happens in the universe uses energy that is transformed into other forms of energy.
Work (W) is the force (F) applied to a body to produce a displacement in the same direction as the force. Force is an action of transfer or loss of energy. Power (P) is the amount of work done by a body in an interval of time.
What application do the concepts of Energy, Power, Force and Work have in daily life?
Energy
One of the forms of energy that is present in everyday life is electrical energy. This type of energy usually comes from power plants that transfer electricity through large electrical wiring networks.
Power plants are generation plants that are based on the transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy, through the use of fossil fuels such as oil, or through the use of other energy sources such as wind or hydraulic energy.
Once electrical energy reaches factories, companies, homes, or the end user, it is transformed into other types of energy through the use of electrical appliances.
For example, the electric iron transforms electricity into heat energy, light bulbs transform energy into light, blenders and washing machines into mechanical energy. Likewise, the electricity supplied to the railway system provides movement in the trains that is translated into kinetic energy.
Electric power transmission lines.
The energy in a car engine comes from burning fuel such as gasoline or gas to transform it into mechanical energy. When trying to brake a car, either to slow it down or stop it, its kinetic energy is transformed into heat energy that is dissipated into the environment by the elements of the braking system.
As living organisms, people convert the energy from the food they eat into caloric energy or chemical energy that is stored in the fat of body tissues. When doing physical exercise or practicing a sport, the person burns calories or body fat, influencing weight, muscle mass and performance.
Power
The concept of power is present when analyzing the operation of machines that are mostly designed to carry out work on bodies. The machines are characterized by a power rating that indicates the transfer of energy per unit of time.
A car engine has a power rating that depends on the cylinder capacity. A car with a high cylinder capacity has more power, reaches high speeds and consumes a lot of energy.
Power in vehicles is measured in horsepower (HP). Power is expressed in watts (W) or kilowatts (KW) in electric motors in washers, dryers, blenders or mixers.
Definition of Horsepower, unit of Power
Athletes are very interested in improving their power in the execution of routine training activities. A power training consists of carrying out exercises of application, of greater displacement force, of the same load in the shortest possible time.
That is, the training consists of improving the force of application on the load to improve the speed of movement and with this improves the power.
Force
The human being experiences the effects of forces daily. For example, the effort when lifting a 2 kilogram weight in the gym is approximately 20 Newtons, opposing the force of gravity.
Pushing a very heavy object or running on a track uses all the strength of the muscles and bones to achieve displacement of the object or to achieve high speeds.
The act of driving or stopping a car requires applying force. When using the blender or washing machine there is a circular motion that helps to grind food or remove dirt from clothes. This movement is due to the centripetal force provided by the motor.
The forces that are present in daily life can move objects, stop them or keep them at rest. The explanation of these effects is present in Newton's laws of motion.
An example of application is when a footballer kicks a ball to make it accelerate and fly vertically. The ball reaches a certain height which will depend on the force applied. The force of gravity decelerates the ball and it rolls back. When falling to the ground it bounces several times due to the elastic force due to the material from which it is made.
Finally the ball rolls on the ground until it stops due to the action of the friction force, which is exerted between the surface and the ball, subtracting kinetic energy.
The forces that keep it at rest are the force of gravity and the force that holds it to the ground. These two forces are equalized and the ball remains at rest until a new force exerted by the footballer is applied to it again.
Job
In daily life the term work means to carry out some activity that generates monetary gain. In physics, work has another meaning. Work is done whenever an applied force causes displacement.
The application of greater force should result in more work. Similarly, applying the same force at a greater distance should result in more work being done.
An example of a work application in daily life is when a book is lifted off the floor. In this case work is done because a vertical force is applied to achieve a displacement in the same direction.
If it is moved to a greater height, the work done is greater because there is a greater transfer of energy, but if the book is returned to the same starting point, negative work is done that results in a loss of energy.
When a car is pushed horizontally from a rest position, work is done because the push is done in the same direction of travel as the car.
Pushing the car up an uphill slope also does work by the component of the force that opposes the force of gravity.
References
- Alonso, M and Finn, E. Physics. Mexico: Addison Wesley Longman, 1999. Vol. III.
- Dola, G, Duffy, M and Percival, A. Physics. Spain: Heinemann, 2003.
- Kittel, C, Knight, WD and Ruderman, M A. Mechanics. US: Mc Graw Hill, 1973, Vol. I.
- Walker, J, Halliday, D and Resnick, R. Fundamentals of Physics. US: Wiley, 2014.
- Hewitt, D E. Engineering Science II. New York: Mcmillan Technician Series, 1978.