Question

Martha must carry a 45 N package up three flights of stairs. Each flight of stairs has a height of 2.3m, and the actual distance of a diagonal path she walks up the stairs is 10 m. What is the total work done on the package?

Answer 1

Answer:

310.5 J

Explanation:

The total work done by Martha is equal to the increase in gravitational potential energy of the package, which is equal to

$\Delta U = mg\Delta h$

where

(mg) = 45 N is the weight of the package

$\Delta h$ is the increase in height of the package

The package is carried up 3 flights of stairs, each one with a height of 2.3 m, so the total increase in heigth is

$\Delta h = 3 \cdot 2.3 m=6.9 m$

And so, the work done by Martha is

$U=(45 N)(6.9 m)=310.5 J$