# Homework Help: Work Through a Displacement At An Angle

1. Dec 3, 2007

### mircobot

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

Find the work done when a force of 65 N acting at an angle of 170° from the x-axis is applied to an object that moves through a displacement of 2.2 m at an angle of 30°.

2. Relevant equations

W = Fcos$$\Theta$$d

where d is the distance moved in the direction of the force.

3. The attempt at a solution

I know I am slipping on my distance. The distance the object is traveling in the direction of the force is 2.2 m multiplied by the difference in the angles
W = ( 65 N ) * cos( 170° ) * ( 2.2 m ) * cos( 150° )

Obviously this is wrong, I don't understand how to find the distance part of the equation.

2. Dec 3, 2007

### mircobot

Nevermind, I completely forgot that work is a scalar quantity and that obviously means it results from a dot product. I solved it...

I just found the vectors of the force and direction, and found their dot product.