- #1
mr200backstrok
- 27
- 0
this has been something that has been bothering me for a long time:
say that you are holding a big box in your arms. You are constantly expending chemical energy to keep that box in the air. energy is measured in watts, which equal joule/seconds (right?). now say you hold it for 10 seconds, and you are using 10 watts (arbitrary values). 10 joules/second * 10 seconds = 100 joules. According to this, you have done 100 joules of work on the box, correct? but, work = force* distance. while you have exerted a force, distance =0, so work equals 0, according to this logic.
so have you done 100 joules of work on the box, or 0?
I am not talking about net work done on the box. I am talking about the work you have done on the box.
say that you are holding a big box in your arms. You are constantly expending chemical energy to keep that box in the air. energy is measured in watts, which equal joule/seconds (right?). now say you hold it for 10 seconds, and you are using 10 watts (arbitrary values). 10 joules/second * 10 seconds = 100 joules. According to this, you have done 100 joules of work on the box, correct? but, work = force* distance. while you have exerted a force, distance =0, so work equals 0, according to this logic.
so have you done 100 joules of work on the box, or 0?
I am not talking about net work done on the box. I am talking about the work you have done on the box.