Question

A person gets a running start toward 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?(1 point) Responses  0.01 joule 0.01 joule  2,500 joules 2,500 joules  0 joules 0 joules  100 joules

Answer 1

Work is defined as the product of force and the displacement in the direction of the force. The formula for calculating work \( W \) is:

\[
W = F \times d \times \cos(\theta)
\]

where:
- \( W \) is the work done,
- \( F \) is the force applied,
- \( d \) is the displacement in the direction of the force,
- \( \theta \) is the angle between the force and the direction of displacement.

In this case, although the person is applying a force of 500 newtons against the wall, the wall does not move, which means the displacement \( d \) is 0 meters. Since the displacement is 0, any force applied to the wall does not result in work being done.

Therefore, the work done by the person is:

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

So, the correct response is:

**0 joules**.