Doc Al said:Work is still just force X displacement. Since the force of gravity is downward, while the displacement is upward, what would be the sign of the work done by gravity?
No. Work can only be done by a force that has a component in the direction of the displacement; that component may well be negative.dacruick said:I thought that work can only be done by a force that is in the same direction as the displacement. So wouldn't the work done just be 0?
Doc Al said:No. Work can only be done by a force that has a component in the direction of the displacement; that component may well be negative.
Right. The work you do (via your hand) is +mgh; the work done by gravity is -mgh.ttttrigg3r said:So gravity is down. So is Wgravity= -mgh?
Doc Al said:Right. The work you do (via your hand) is +mgh; the work done by gravity is -mgh.
The work done by gravity is the product of the force of gravity and the distance an object is moved against that force. It is a measure of the energy transferred to an object when it is lifted against the force of gravity.
Work done by gravity is a specific type of work that is caused by the force of gravity. Other types of work may be caused by different forces, such as friction or applied forces.
Yes, the mass of the object does affect the work done by gravity. A heavier object will require more work to be lifted against the force of gravity compared to a lighter object, assuming they are lifted the same distance.
The height of the lift also affects the work done by gravity. The higher an object is lifted, the more work is done by gravity because the force of gravity acts over a greater distance.
Yes, the work done by gravity can be negative. This occurs when the force of gravity is acting in the opposite direction of the movement of the object, such as when an object is being lowered against the force of gravity.