1. Work

2. Defining Work
Work – the amount of energy required to move an object a certain distance with a specific force
Work is a scalar quantity that only acts in the direction of motion.
-- For example, if you carry your backpack to school, you are doing NO WORK on your backpack.
-- Why?
-- the carrying of your backpack is a force in the vertical direction. Your motion (walking) is in the horizontal direction. Since the force and motion are not in the same direction, there is NO WORK.

3. Work = Force x Distance, or w = F x d
Calculating Work
We can calculate work with the equation:
Work = Force x Distance, or w = F x d
(we use a script or lowercase w to not confuse work with weight)
Since force is measured in Newtons, and distance is in meters, Work is measured in Newton-meters, which is the same thing as Joules (J)

4. Practice Problems
What is the work required to push a desk 15 meters with a force of 8 N?
2. (Hard). A 2,500-kg car is stopped at a red light. The light turns green, and the car accelerates for 8 seconds until its velocity reaches 40 m/s. During the time the car was accelerating, it traveled a distance of 180 meters. How much work did it take for the car to accelerate to 40 m/s?