Question

Magnus has reached the finals of a strength competition. In the first round, he has to pull a city bus as far as he can. One end of a rope is attached to the bus and the other is tied around Magnus's waist. If a force gauge placed halfway down the rope reads out a constant 1500 1500 Newtons while Magnus pulls the bus a distance of 2.20 2.20 meters, how much work does the tension force do on Magnus? The rope is perfectly horizontal during the pull.

Answer 1

Answer: -3,300Nm or -3,300 Joules

Explanation:

Work = F X d

Where:

F = force = 1,500 N

d = distance = 2.20m

We will be taking into consideration that the work that the tension force on the rope does to Magnus is negative because the force goes against Magnus.

This is in accordance with Newton' third law, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Therefore, we have:

W = F X d

W = 1,500 X 2.20

W = 3,300Nm

Since we are not calculating the work done by Magnus, but rather the opposite work done by the rope, our answer will be negative.

We therefore have:

-3,300Nm or -3,300 Joules.