When a force acts at right angles to the direction of motion, no work is done on the object. This is because the force and the displacement vectors are perpendicular to each other, and the cosine of 90 degrees is zero. Therefore, according to the formula for work done:
W = F · d cos θ
where θ is the angle between the force and displacement vectors, the work done is zero.
For example, consider a ball being thrown horizontally. As the ball moves through the air, gravity pulls it downward, but the force of gravity acts at right angles to the direction of motion. Therefore, the work done by gravity on the ball is zero, even though the ball is accelerating due to the force of gravity. Similarly, if a person pushes a box across a frictionless surface with a force that is perpendicular to the direction of motion, no work is done on the box, since the force and the displacement vectors are perpendicular to each other.
So, It can be concluded that,
- No work is done when a force acts at right angles to the direction of displacement.
- It is because in such a situation displacement in the direction of force is zero.
When the force acts at right angle to the direction of motion FAQs
No work is done when a force acts at right angles to the direction of motion because work is defined as the product of the force applied and the displacement in the direction of the force. Since the force and displacement are perpendicular, there is no component of the force in the direction of motion, resulting in zero work.
A force that acts at a right angle refers to a force whose direction is perpendicular to the direction of motion. It means the force and the direction of motion are at a 90-degree angle to each other.
When the force is acting at an angle of 120 degrees with the direction of motion, the work done can be calculated using the formula W = F * d * cos(theta), where F is the magnitude of the force, d is the displacement, and theta is the angle between the force and the direction of motion. Plug in the values and calculate the work done.
The work done by a force when it is at an angle to the direction of displacement can be measured using the formula W = F * d * cos(theta), where F is the magnitude of the force, d is the displacement, and theta is the angle between the force and the direction of motion. Multiply the force magnitude, displacement, and the cosine of the angle to calculate the work done.
To measure the work when the force is applied at an angle, you need to know the magnitude of the force, the displacement, and the angle between the force and the direction of motion. Using the formula W = F * d * cos(theta), multiply the force magnitude, displacement, and the cosine of the angle to calculate the work done.
The equation commonly used to calculate the work done when a force is exerted at an angle is W = F * d * cos(theta), where W represents the work done, F is the magnitude of the force, d is the displacement, and theta is the angle between the force and the direction of motion.
The angle between the force and the direction of motion affects the amount of work done. When the force and the direction of motion are parallel, all of the force contributes to the work. As the angle increases towards 90 degrees, less and less of the force contributes to the work until it becomes zero at 90 degrees.
Since the work done is zero in this case, there is no need for a specific calculation. The work done can be determined by recognizing that the force does not contribute to the displacement.
The formula to calculate work, W = F * d * cos(theta), still holds true, but since cos(90 degrees) is zero, the work done becomes zero.
Work is defined as the transfer of energy that occurs when a force is applied to an object, causing it to move in the direction of the force.
For example, consider a ball being thrown horizontally. As the ball moves through the air, gravity pulls it downward, but the force of gravity acts at right angles to the direction of motion. Therefore, the work done by gravity on the ball is zero, even though the ball is accelerating due to the force of gravity. Similarly, if a person pushes a box across a frictionless surface with a force that is perpendicular to the direction of motion, no work is done on the box, since the force and the displacement vectors are perpendicular to each other.
