a person gets a running start words a wall from 5 meters away. the person pushes the wall with a force of 500 newtons, but the wall does not move. how much work is done by the person?

0.01 joule
2,500 joules
100 joules
0 joules

1 answer

To calculate the work done by the person pushing against the wall, we use the formula for work:

\[ \text{Work} = \text{Force} \times \text{Distance} \times \cos(\theta) \]

Where:

  • Work is in joules
  • Force is in newtons
  • Distance is in meters
  • \(\theta\) is the angle between the force and the direction of movement

In this scenario, the wall does not move, meaning the distance moved in the direction of the force is zero. Therefore, the distance in the formula is 0 meters.

Substituting this into the work formula gives:

\[ \text{Work} = 500 , \text{N} \times 0 , \text{m} \times \cos(\theta) = 0 , \text{joules} \]

Since any force applied over a distance of zero results in zero work being done, the work done by the person in this situation is:

\[ \text{Work} = 0 , \text{joules} \]

So, the correct answer is:

0 joules