How to Calculate Work

In physics, work is defined as the amount of force applied to an object times the distance the object is displaced. In scalar notation, which is more common in introductory physics texts, it is written as w = f*d*cos(a), where "a" is the angle between the direction of the force and the direction of the displacement. For instance, if the force is acting vertically (up) and the object is displaced horizontally (right), the angle "a" will be 90 degrees.

Instructions

1. Measure or calculate the amount of force being applied to an object, as well as the direction in which the force is being exerted.

2. Measure or calculate the displacement of the object, as well as the direction in which the object moves.

3. Calculate the angle between the direction of the force and the direction of the displacement.

4. Put the values into the formula and solve the equation:
   w = f*d*cos(a)
   w = work
   f = magnitude of the force being applied
   d = magnitude of the displacement
   a = angle between force and displacement directions