How do you calculate work done by a force?

Work done by a force is calculated by multiplying the force by the distance moved in the direction of the force.

In physics, work is defined as the amount of energy transferred by a force over a distance. The formula for calculating work done (W) is W = Fd, where F is the force applied and d is the distance over which the force is applied. It's important to note that the force and the distance must be in the same direction for work to be done.

For example, if you push a box with a force of 10 Newtons for a distance of 2 metres, the work done would be 20 Joules (10N x 2m). This is because you're applying a force to move the box in the same direction as the force.

However, if the force is applied at an angle to the direction of motion, only the component of the force in the direction of motion does work. In this case, the formula becomes W = Fd cos θ, where θ is the angle between the force and the direction of motion.

It's also worth noting that if the force is perpendicular to the direction of motion, no work is done. This is because the cosine of 90 degrees is zero, so the work done is zero.

In summary, to calculate the work done by a force, you need to know the magnitude of the force, the distance over which it's applied, and the angle between the force and the direction of motion.