6.02a Work done: concept and definition

178 questions

Sort by: Default | Easiest first | Hardest first
CAIE M1 2010 June Q5
7 marks Moderate -0.3
\(P\) and \(Q\) are fixed points on a line of greatest slope of an inclined plane. The point \(Q\) is at a height of 0.45 m above the level of \(P\). A particle of mass 0.3 kg moves upwards along the line \(PQ\).
  1. Given that the plane is smooth and that the particle just reaches \(Q\), find the speed with which it passes through \(P\). [3]
  2. It is given instead that the plane is rough. The particle passes through \(P\) with the same speed as that found in part (i), and just reaches a point \(R\) which is between \(P\) and \(Q\). The work done against the frictional force in moving from \(P\) to \(R\) is 0.39 J. Find the potential energy gained by the particle in moving from \(P\) to \(R\) and hence find the height of \(R\) above the level of \(P\). [4]
CAIE M1 2010 June Q5
7 marks Moderate -0.3
\(P\) and \(Q\) are fixed points on a line of greatest slope of an inclined plane. The point \(Q\) is at a height of \(0.45 \text{ m}\) above the level of \(P\). A particle of mass \(0.3 \text{ kg}\) moves upwards along the line \(PQ\).
  1. Given that the plane is smooth and that the particle just reaches \(Q\), find the speed with which it passes through \(P\). [3]
  2. It is given instead that the plane is rough. The particle passes through \(P\) with the same speed as that found in part (i), and just reaches a point \(R\) which is between \(P\) and \(Q\). The work done against the frictional force in moving from \(P\) to \(R\) is \(0.39 \text{ J}\). Find the potential energy gained by the particle in moving from \(P\) to \(R\) and hence find the height of \(R\) above the level of \(P\). [4]
CAIE M1 2015 June Q1
4 marks Easy -1.2
A block is pulled along a horizontal floor by a horizontal rope. The tension in the rope is 500 N and the block moves at a constant speed of \(2.75 \text{ m s}^{-1}\). Find the work done by the tension in 40 s and find the power applied by the tension. [4]
CAIE M1 2015 June Q4
6 marks Standard +0.3
A lorry of mass 12 000 kg moves up a straight hill of length 500 m, starting at the bottom with a speed of \(24 \text{ m s}^{-1}\) and reaching the top with a speed of \(16 \text{ m s}^{-1}\). The top of the hill is 25 m above the level of the bottom of the hill. The resistance to motion of the lorry is 7500 N. Find the driving force of the lorry. [6]
CAIE M1 2017 June Q1
3 marks Moderate -0.8
One end of a light inextensible string is attached to a block. The string makes an angle of \(\theta°\) with the horizontal. The tension in the string is \(20\) N. The string pulls the block along a horizontal surface at a constant speed of \(1.5\) m s\(^{-1}\) for \(12\) s. The work done by the tension in the string is \(50\) J. Find \(\theta\). [3]
CAIE M1 2019 March Q7
11 marks Standard +0.3
\includegraphics{figure_7} The diagram shows the vertical cross-section \(PQR\) of a slide. The part \(PQ\) is a straight line of length \(8\) m inclined at angle \(α\) to the horizontal, where \(\sin α = 0.8\). The straight part \(PQ\) is tangential to the curved part \(QR\) at \(Q\), and \(R\) is \(h\) m above the level of \(P\). The straight part \(PQ\) of the slide is rough and the curved part \(QR\) is smooth. A particle of mass \(0.25\) kg is projected with speed \(15\) m s\(^{-1}\) from \(P\) towards \(Q\) and comes to rest at \(R\). The coefficient of friction between the particle and \(PQ\) is \(0.5\).
  1. Find the work done by the friction force during the motion of the particle from \(P\) to \(Q\). [4]
  2. Hence find the speed of the particle at \(Q\). [4]
  3. Find the value of \(h\). [3]
CAIE M1 2007 November Q4
6 marks Moderate -0.8
\includegraphics{figure_4} The diagram shows the vertical cross-section of a surface. \(A\) and \(B\) are two points on the cross-section, and \(A\) is 5 m higher than \(B\). A particle of mass \(0.35\) kg passes through \(A\) with speed \(7 \text{ m s}^{-1}\), moving on the surface towards \(B\).
  1. Assuming that there is no resistance to motion, find the speed with which the particle reaches \(B\). [3]
  2. Assuming instead that there is a resistance to motion, and that the particle reaches \(B\) with speed \(11 \text{ m s}^{-1}\), find the work done against this resistance as the particle moves from \(A\) to \(B\). [3]
CAIE M1 2017 November Q5
8 marks Standard +0.3
A cyclist is riding up a straight hill inclined at an angle \(α\) to the horizontal, where \(\sin α = 0.04\). The total mass of the bicycle and rider is 80 kg. The cyclist is riding at a constant speed of 4 m s\(^{-1}\). There is a force resisting the motion. The work done by the cyclist against this resistance force over a distance of 25 m is 600 J.
  1. Find the power output of the cyclist. [4]
The cyclist reaches the top of the hill, where the road becomes horizontal, with speed 4 m s\(^{-1}\). The cyclist continues to work at the same rate on the horizontal part of the road.
  1. Find the speed of the cyclist 10 seconds after reaching the top of the hill, given that the work done by the cyclist during this period against the resistance force is 1200 J. [4]
CAIE M1 2018 November Q6
8 marks Moderate -0.3
A car of mass \(1200\) kg is driving along a straight horizontal road at a constant speed of \(15\) m s\(^{-1}\). There is a constant resistance to motion of \(350\) N.
  1. Find the power of the car's engine. [1]
The car comes to a hill inclined at \(1°\) to the horizontal, still travelling at \(15\) m s\(^{-1}\).
  1. The car starts to descend the hill with reduced power and with an acceleration of \(0.12\) m s\(^{-2}\). Given that there is no change in the resistance force, find the new power of the car's engine at the instant when it starts to descend the hill. [3]
  2. When the car is travelling at \(20\) m s\(^{-1}\) down the hill, the power is cut off and the car gradually slows down. Assuming that the resistance force remains \(350\) N, find the distance travelled from the moment when the power is cut off until the speed of the car is reduced to \(18\) m s\(^{-1}\). [4]
CAIE M1 2018 November Q7
11 marks Standard +0.3
A particle of mass \(0.3\) kg is released from rest above a tank containing water. The particle falls vertically, taking \(0.8\) s to reach the water surface. There is no instantaneous change of speed when the particle enters the water. The depth of water in the tank is \(1.25\) m. The water exerts a force on the particle resisting its motion. The work done against this resistance force from the instant that the particle enters the water until it reaches the bottom of the tank is \(1.2\) J.
  1. Use an energy method to find the speed of the particle when it reaches the bottom of the tank. [4]
When the particle reaches the bottom of the tank, it bounces back vertically upwards with initial speed \(7\) m s\(^{-1}\). As the particle rises through the water, it experiences a constant resistance force of \(1.8\) N. The particle comes to instantaneous rest \(t\) seconds after it bounces on the bottom of the tank.
  1. Find the value of \(t\). [7]
CAIE M1 2019 November Q2
5 marks Standard +0.3
The total mass of a cyclist and her bicycle is 75 kg. The cyclist ascends a straight hill of length 0.7 km inclined at 1.5° to the horizontal. Her speed at the bottom of the hill is 10 m s\(^{-1}\) and at the top it is 5 m s\(^{-1}\). There is a resistance to motion, and the work done against this resistance as the cyclist ascends the hill is 2000 J. The cyclist exerts a constant force of magnitude \(F\) N in the direction of motion. Find \(F\). [5]
CAIE M1 Specimen Q1
4 marks Easy -1.2
A weightlifter performs an exercise in which he raises a mass of 200 kg from rest vertically through a distance of 0.7 m and holds it at that height.
  1. Find the work done by the weightlifter. [2]
  2. Given that the time taken to raise the mass is 1.2 s, find the average power developed by the weightlifter. [2]
CAIE Further Paper 3 2024 June Q7
11 marks Standard +0.8
A parachutist of mass \(m\) kg opens his parachute when he is moving vertically downwards with a speed of \(50\text{ ms}^{-1}\). At time \(t\) s after opening his parachute, he has fallen a distance \(x\) m from the point where he opened his parachute, and his speed is \(v\text{ ms}^{-1}\). The forces acting on him are his weight and a resistive force of magnitude \(mv\) N.
  1. Find an expression for \(v\) in terms of \(t\). [6]
  2. Find an expression for \(x\) in terms of \(t\). [3]
  3. Find the distance that the parachutist has fallen, since opening his parachute, when his speed is \(15\text{ ms}^{-1}\). [2]
Edexcel M1 2003 January Q7
14 marks Moderate -0.3
A ball is projected vertically upwards with a speed \(u\) m s\(^{-1}\) from a point \(A\) which is 1.5 m above the ground. The ball moves freely under gravity until it reaches the ground. The greatest height attained by the ball is 25.6 m above \(A\).
  1. Show that \(u = 22.4\). [3]
The ball reaches the ground 7 seconds after it has been projected from \(A\).
  1. Find, to 2 decimal places, the value of \(T\). [4]
The ground is soft and the ball sinks 2.5 cm into the ground before coming to rest. The mass of the ball is 0.6 kg. The ground is assumed to exert a constant resistive force of magnitude \(F\) newtons.
  1. Find, to 3 significant figures, the value of \(F\). [6]
  2. State one physical factor which could be taken into account to make the model used in this question more realistic. [1]
Edexcel M1 2005 January Q6
13 marks Moderate -0.3
A stone \(S\) is sliding on ice. The stone is moving along a straight horizontal line \(ABC\), where \(AB = 24\) m and \(AC = 30\) m. The stone is subject to a constant resistance to motion of magnitude 0.3 N. At \(A\) the speed of \(S\) is 20 m s\(^{-1}\), and at \(B\) the speed of \(S\) is 16 m s\(^{-1}\). Calculate
  1. the deceleration of \(S\), [2]
  2. the speed of \(S\) at \(C\). [3]
  3. Show that the mass of \(S\) is 0.1 kg. [2]
At \(C\), the stone \(S\) hits a vertical wall, rebounds from the wall and then slides back along the line \(CA\). The magnitude of the impulse of the wall on \(S\) is 2.4 Ns and the stone continues to move against a constant resistance of 0.3 N.
  1. Calculate the time between the instant that \(S\) rebounds from the wall and the instant that \(S\) comes to rest. [6]
Edexcel M1 Specimen Q5
12 marks Moderate -0.3
A truck of mass 3 tonnes moves on straight horizontal rails. It collides with truck \(B\) of mass 1 tonne, which is moving on the same rails. Immediately before the collision, the speed of \(A\) is \(3 \text{ m s}^{-1}\), the speed of \(B\) is \(4 \text{ m s}^{-1}\), and the trucks are moving towards each other. In the collision, the trucks couple to form a single body \(C\), which continues to move on the rails.
  1. Find the speed and direction of \(C\) after the collision. [4]
  2. Find, in Ns, the magnitude of the impulse exerted by \(B\) on \(A\) in the collision. [3]
  3. State a modelling assumption which you have made about the trucks in your solution [1]
Immediately after the collision, a constant braking force of magnitude 250 N is applied to \(C\). It comes to rest in a distance \(d\) metres.
  1. Find the value of \(d\). [4]
Edexcel M2 Q2
17 marks Standard +0.3
A particle \(P\) moves in a straight line so that, at time \(t\) seconds, its acceleration \(a\) m s\(^{-2}\) is given by $$a = \begin{cases} 4t - t^2, & 0 \leq t \leq 3, \\ \frac{27}{t^2}, & t > 3. \end{cases}$$ At \(t = 0\), \(P\) is at rest. Find the speed of \(P\) when
  1. \(t = 3\), [3]
  1. \(t = 6\). [5]
Figure 1 shows the path taken by a cyclist in travelling on a section of a road. When the cyclist comes to the point \(A\) on the top of a hill, she is travelling at 8 m s\(^{-1}\). She descends a vertical distance of 20 m to the bottom of the hill. The road then rises to the point \(B\) through a vertical distance of 12 m. When she reaches the point \(B\), her speed is 5 m s\(^{-1}\). The total mass of the cyclist and the cycle is 80 kg and the total distance along the road from \(A\) to \(B\) is 500 m. By modelling the resistance to the motion of the cyclist as of constant magnitude 20 N,
  1. find the work done by the cyclist in moving from \(A\) to \(B\). [5]
At \(B\) the road is horizontal. Given that at \(B\) the cyclist is accelerating at 0.5 m s\(^{-2}\),
  1. find the power generated by the cyclist at \(B\). [4]
Edexcel M2 Q2
17 marks Standard +0.3
A car of mass 1000 kg is moving along a straight horizontal road with a constant acceleration of \(j\) m s\(^{-2}\). The resistance to motion is modelled as a constant force of magnitude 1200 N. When the car is travelling at 12 m s\(^{-1}\), the power generated by the engine of the car is 24 kW.
  1. Calculate the value of \(j\). [4]
When the car is travelling at 14 m s\(^{-1}\), the engine is switched off and the car comes to rest, without braking, in a distance of \(d\) metres. Assuming the same model for resistance,
  1. use the work-energy principle to calculate the value of \(d\). [3]
  1. Give a reason why the model used for the resistance to motion may not be realistic. [1]
A uniform ladder \(AB\), of mass \(m\) and length \(2a\), has one end \(A\) on rough horizontal ground. The other end \(B\) rests against a smooth vertical wall. The ladder is in a vertical plane perpendicular to the wall. The ladder makes an angle \(α\) with the horizontal, where \(\tan α = \frac{4}{3}\). A child of mass \(2m\) stands on the ladder at \(C\) where \(AC = \frac{1}{4}a\), as shown in Fig. 1. The ladder and the child are in equilibrium. By modelling the ladder as a rod and the child as a particle, calculate the least possible value of the coefficient of friction between the ladder and the ground. [9]
Edexcel M2 2003 January Q2
8 marks Moderate -0.3
A car of mass 1000 kg is moving along a straight horizontal road with a constant acceleration of \(f\) m s\(^{-2}\). The resistance to motion is modelled as a constant force of magnitude 1200 N. When the car is travelling at 12 m s\(^{-1}\), the power generated by the engine of the car is 24 kW.
  1. Calculate the value of \(f\). [4]
When the car is travelling at 14 m s\(^{-1}\), the engine is switched off and the car comes to rest, without braking, in a distance of \(d\) metres. Assuming the same model for resistance,
  1. use the work-energy principle to calculate the value of \(d\). [3]
  2. Give a reason why the model used for the resistance to motion may not be realistic. [1]
Edexcel M2 2006 January Q1
6 marks Moderate -0.8
A brick of mass 3 kg slides in a straight line on a horizontal floor. The brick is modelled as a particle and the floor as a rough plane. The initial speed of the brick is 8 m s\(^{-1}\). The brick is brought to rest after moving 12 m by the constant frictional force between the brick and the floor.
  1. Calculate the kinetic energy lost by the brick in coming to rest, stating the units of your answer. [2]
  2. Calculate the coefficient of friction between the brick and the floor. [4]
Edexcel M2 2007 January Q1
6 marks Moderate -0.8
A particle of mass 0.8 kg is moving in a straight line on a rough horizontal plane. The speed of the particle is reduced from 15 m s\(^{-1}\) to 10 m s\(^{-1}\) as the particle moves 20 m. Assuming that the only resistance to motion is the friction between the particle and the plane, find
  1. the work done by friction in reducing the speed of the particle from 15 m s\(^{-1}\) to 10 m s\(^{-1}\), [2]
  2. the coefficient of friction between the particle and the plane. [4]
Edexcel M2 2008 January Q1
5 marks Moderate -0.8
A parcel of mass 2.5 kg is moving in a straight line on a smooth horizontal floor. Initially the parcel is moving with speed 8 m s\(^{-1}\). The parcel is brought to rest in a distance of 20 m by a constant horizontal force of magnitude \(R\) newtons. Modelling the parcel as a particle, find
  1. the kinetic energy lost by the parcel in coming to rest, [2]
  2. the value of \(R\). [3]
Edexcel M2 2008 January Q3
9 marks Standard +0.3
A car of mass 1000 kg is moving at a constant speed of 16 m s\(^{-1}\) up a straight road inclined at an angle \(\theta\) to the horizontal. The rate of working of the engine of the car is 20 kW and the resistance to motion from non-gravitational forces is modelled as a constant force of magnitude 550 N.
  1. Show that \(\sin \theta = \frac{1}{14}\). [5]
When the car is travelling up the road at 16 m s\(^{-1}\), the engine is switched off. The car comes to rest, without braking, having moved a distance \(y\) metres from the point where the engine was switched off. The resistance to motion from non-gravitational forces is again modelled as a constant force of magnitude 550 N.
  1. Find the value of \(y\). [4]
Edexcel M2 2010 January Q3
6 marks Moderate -0.3
A particle of mass \(0.5\) kg is projected vertically upwards from ground level with a speed of \(20 \text{ ms}^{-1}\). It comes to instantaneous rest at a height of \(10\) m above the ground. As the particle moves it is subject to air resistance of constant magnitude \(R\) newtons. Using the work-energy principle, or otherwise, find the value of \(R\). [6]
Edexcel M2 2012 January Q3
10 marks Standard +0.3
A cyclist and her cycle have a combined mass of \(75\) kg. The cyclist is cycling up a straight road inclined at \(5°\) to the horizontal. The resistance to the motion of the cyclist from non-gravitational forces is modelled as a constant force of magnitude \(20\) N. At the instant when the cyclist has a speed of \(12\) m s\(^{-1}\), she is decelerating at \(0.2\) m s\(^{-2}\).
  1. Find the rate at which the cyclist is working at this instant. [5]
When the cyclist passes the point \(A\) her speed is \(8\) m s\(^{-1}\). At \(A\) she stops working but does not apply the brakes. She comes to rest at the point \(B\). The resistance to motion from non-gravitational forces is again modelled as a constant force of magnitude \(20\) N.
  1. Use the work-energy principle to find the distance \(AB\). [5]