Brandi poses as Lady Justice for a skit in her government class. She holds a set of scales above her head with her right hand and a sword by her side in her left hand. She holds the pose for 10 minutes. At the end of the skit, she mentions to her friend that it was a lot of work to pose and that her arms were really tired.

Question

Which best summarizes Brandi’s statement about doing work while posing?

She did no work because she did not exert any forces on objects.
She did more work using her right hand than her left because her right hand was higher.
She did no work because she did not move the scales or sword while she posed.
She did work the entire time she posed because she was tired at the end.

Answer 1

The best summary of Brandi's statement about doing work while posing is:

She did no work because she did not move the scales or sword while she posed.

In physics, work is defined as the exertion of a force causing an object to move a distance. Since Brandi held the scales and sword in place without moving them, no work was done according to this definition.