De
Coriolis’ Formula to Compute Work and the Newton
A case in point is Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis‘ formula to compute work, as set out in his Principle of Work. We’ll work with his formula
today, and we’ll introduce a unit of measurement used to quantify work known as
the Newton.
de Coriolis’ formula to
compute work is used to determine the amount of work, that is, the amount of
dynamic energy available to influence the movement of an object, and is
calculated by the formula,
Work = Force × Distance
where F represents the force acting upon an
object that travels a distance of D. Force is most often
expressed in metric units as kilogram • meter per second2, a wordy
expression which is more conveniently referred to as the Newton.
In the image below, F is the force
of 178 Newtons exerted by the gardener to
push his filled wheelbarrow a distance of 3 meters. The
quantity 178 Newtons was obtained by way of
direct personal experience working in my own garden. I’ve
found that it takes approximately 40 pounds of force to push a wheelbarrow
loaded with dirt across level ground. Because one pound of
force is equal to 4.45 Newtons, the amount of
force I exerted is expressed as,
[40 pounds of force] × [4.45 Newtons per pound force] = 178 Newtons
Work = Force × Distance
If 178 Newtons of
force is required to push the wheelbarrow a distance of 3 meters, then the work
performed is expressed as,
Work = 178 Newtons ×
3 meters
= 534 Newton • meters
Next topic we’ll explore the
special relationship between work and energy and introduce another unit used to
quantify work.