Question

State and explain the work-energy principle. Mention any three examples for it.

Answer 1

(i) If the work done by the force on the body is positive then its kinetic energy increases.

(ii) If the work done by the force on the body is negative then its kinetic energy decreases.

(iii) If there is no work done by the force on the body then there is no change in its kinetic energy, which means that the body has moved at constant speed provided its mass remains constant.

(iv) When a particle moves with constant speed in a circle, there is no change in the kinetic energy of the particle. So according to the work-energy principle, the work done by the centripetal force is zero.