An object thrown at a certain angle to the ground moves in a curved path and falls back to the ground.
Question.
An object thrown at a certain angle to the ground moves in a curved path and falls back to the ground. The initial and the final points of the path of the object lie on the same horizontal line. What is the work done by the force of gravity on the object?
An object thrown at a certain angle to the ground moves in a curved path and falls back to the ground. The initial and the final points of the path of the object lie on the same horizontal line. What is the work done by the force of gravity on the object?
Solution:
The object returns to its level of projection, therefore displacement is in horizontal direction, while force of gravity acts in vertically downward direction. Thus, force and displacement are in perpendicular directions. Hence, work done by the force of gravity is zero.
The object returns to its level of projection, therefore displacement is in horizontal direction, while force of gravity acts in vertically downward direction. Thus, force and displacement are in perpendicular directions. Hence, work done by the force of gravity is zero.