Doubts on Work-Energy theorem for a system

In summary, the work-energy theorem states that the work done on a system by external forces is equal to the change in energy of the system. This can include overall kinetic energy, internal potential energy, or internal kinetic energy. For a point particle, only external forces are considered for the work. This is because a point particle has no internal structure, so there is no internal work being done. The formula for the work-energy theorem can also be related to the concept of conservative work, where the work done by conservative forces is equal to the change in potential energy. However, for a system of multiple particles, both external and internal forces must be considered when calculating the work done on the system.
  • #1
Soren4
128
2
While studying energy conservation on Morin I found this explanation about the work-energy theorem for a system.
The work–energy theorem stated before is relevant to one particle. What if we are dealing with the work done on a system that is composed of various parts? The general work–energy theorem states that the work done on a system by external forces equals the change in energy of the system. This energy may come in the form of (1) overall kinetic energy, (2) internal potential energy, or (3) internal kinetic energy (heat falls into this category, because it’s simply the random motion of molecules). So we can write the general work–energy theorem as
$$W_\textrm{external} = \Delta K +\Delta V +\Delta K_\textrm{internal}.$$ For a point particle, there is no internal structure, so we have only the first of the three terms on the right-hand side.

Using Koenig theorem $$\Delta K_\textrm{system}=\Delta K +\Delta K_\textrm{internal}$$ so we have

$$W_\textrm{external} = \Delta K_\textrm{system} +\Delta V$$

I've got two main question on that:

  1. Why are only external forces considered for the work?
  2. How is the formula above related to the following? $$W_{conservative}=-\Delta V$$
Here are my consideration/doubts:
  1. Considering a system of [itex]n[/itex] material points the following holds.
$$\sum W=\Delta K_\textrm{system}$$
But here $$\sum W=\sum W_{i}=\sum \left(W_{i}^{(\textrm{ext})}+W_{i}^{(\textrm{int})}\right)$$
The amount of work considered is the sum of the work done on each point (both from external and internal forces).
And in general we do not have that $$\sum W_{i}^{(\textrm{int})}=0$$
Counterexample: two masses attracting each other gravitationally.

2. If we use the formula reported above we have $$W_{external}+W_{conservative}=\Delta K$$
But does this make sense?
 
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  • #2
Soren4 said:
Why are only external forces considered for the work?

as the external forces are doing work -its being considered.
 

1. What is the work-energy theorem for a system?

The work-energy theorem states that the work done on a system is equal to the change in the system's kinetic energy. In other words, when work is done on a system, its energy changes by the same amount.

2. Can the work-energy theorem be applied to all systems?

Yes, the work-energy theorem can be applied to all systems as long as there is a change in the system's kinetic energy. This includes both macroscopic and microscopic systems.

3. How is the work-energy theorem derived?

The work-energy theorem can be derived from the fundamental principles of physics, including Newton's laws of motion and the conservation of energy. It can also be derived using calculus and the definition of work as the dot product of force and displacement.

4. Are there any limitations to the work-energy theorem?

One limitation of the work-energy theorem is that it only considers changes in kinetic energy and does not take into account potential energy or other forms of energy in a system. Additionally, it assumes that there are no external forces acting on the system.

5. How is the work-energy theorem used in practical applications?

The work-energy theorem is used in many practical applications, such as calculating the work done by a machine or finding the speed of an object after a collision. It is also used in fields like engineering and physics to analyze the energy transfers and transformations in different systems.

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