Have you ever been on a bicycle and tried to ride it up a hill, and how difficult it becomes, in comparison with riding a bicycle on a level road? That experience alone is a real-life example of ideas that you are going to study in NCERT Class 11 Physics Chapter 5 Notes Work, Energy and Power. This chapter will allow you to know how force causes motion, how to change one form of energy into another, and how power relates to the speed of doing work. It is one of the major chapters that learners want to achieve well in the CBSE board exams, JEE and NEET.
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The NCERT Class 11 Physics Chapter 5 Notes Work, Energy and Power PDF offers properly organised descriptions of such important concepts as the work done by constant and variable forces, the kinetic energy, the potential energy, the conservation of mechanical energy, and the power. There are also step-by-step derivations, important formulae, examples, and simple diagrams in these NCERT Class 11 Physics Chapter 5 Notes to make learning easier. These NCERT notes help you prepare smartly, faster and more efficiently, whether you are revising before exams or developing a solid conceptual ground.
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These Work, Energy and Power Class 11 Notes provide a clear and structured explanation of the concepts of work, energy, and power, along with important formulas, derivations, and solved examples. The downloadable PDF will help students with quick revision for CBSE exams as well as competitive exams like JEE and NEET.
The NCERT Notes for the chapter Work, Energy and Power provide easy-to-understand explanations and concise derivations, which help you prepare for exams. These notes are helpful in gaining better knowledge and mastering the concepts covered in the chapter.
There are two ways of multiplying vectors (i) scalar product (ii) vector product. We shall study the latter in the next chapter. The scalar product or dot product of any two vectors
where
This concept explains how work done on an object results in a change in its kinetic energy. When a force causes displacement, work is said to be done. The Work-Energy Theorem states that the net work done by all forces on an object is equal to the change in its kinetic energy.
If a force
The work done by the force is defined as the product of the component of the force in the direction of the displacement and the magnitude of this displacement.
So,
(i) Absolute units: Joule [S.I.] and Erg [C.G.S.]
(ii) Gravitational units: kg-m [S.I.] and gm-cm [C.G.S.]
Negative work :
Zero Work:
The work done by a force on an object can be calculated using the area under the force-displacement graph.
The energy of a body is essentially its ability or capacity to get things done, or in other words, to do work.
Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion.
Where: KE is the kinetic energy, m is the mass of the object and v is its velocity.
If the applied force (F) varies along the path, the work required to move a body from position A to B can be calculated by integrating the product of the force and differential displacement.
Relation of kinetic energy with linear momentum
Confining to one dimension, the rate of change of kinetic energy with time is
[Integrating from the initial position
Where
or
Thus,
Thus, the work-energy theorem is proved for a variable force.
Potential energy is the energy that an object has because of its position or state.
Types of Potential Energy
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE): It is the energy associated with an object's height in a gravitational field.
Potential energy = mgh
Where, U is the potential energy, m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity and h is the height of the object above a reference point.
Elastic Potential Energy: For objects like springs or rubber bands, the potential energy is associated with how much the material is stretched or compressed.
When an elastic spring is compressed (or strained) by a distance x from its equilibrium state, its elastic potential energy is represented by:
$U=\frac{1}{2} k x^2
Where, k is the force constant of a given spring.
The Law of Conservation of Energy asserts that energy is neither created nor destroyed; it merely changes from one form to another.
For simplicity, we are considering one-dimensional motion. Suppose that a body undergoes a displacement
If the force is conservative, the potential energy function
Adding the above two equations, we get
or
Over the whole path
The quantity
When a spring is either compressed or stretched from its natural (equilibrium) position, it stores potential energy due to its elasticity. This energy is known as elastic potential energy.
According to Hooke's Law, the force required to stretch or compress a spring is
F=-kx
where:
The potential energy stored in the spring is given by the formula:
This energy increases with greater displacement and depends on the stiffness of the spring (value of
The work done against which is stored in the system as its potential energy, which can be recovered later, is called a conservative force.
The work done against which is not stored in the system as its potential energy, which can be recovered later, is called non-conservative force".
The power (P) of a body is defined as the rate at which the body can do work. Mathematically, power is expressed as the amount of work done (W) divided by the time (t) taken to do that work. The formula for power is:
Average
Instantaneous
A collision occurs when two or more objects come into contact for a short period, during which they exert forces on each other. These forces can cause changes in the motion of the objects involved. Collisions are important because they help us understand how momentum and kinetic energy are transferred and conserved.
On the basis of conservation of kinetic energy, there are mainly three types of collisions
When the motion of colliding particles before and after the collision occurs along the same line, it is referred to as a "head-on" or "one-dimensional" collision. In such collisions, the initial and final velocities of the particles are aligned along a straight line, simplifying the analysis of the collision dynamics.
From equations (1) and (2) we get,
From equations (1),(2), (3) We get
Let two bodies move as shown in the figure. By the law of conservation of momentum,
Along x-axis-
Along y-axis-
By the law of conservation of kinetic energy
So along the line of impact (here along in the direction of ) we apply e
So we solve these equations
After a collision, two bodies stick together, resulting in a final common velocity.
When the colliding bodies are moving in the same direction
When the colliding bodies are moving in the opposite direction
Two blocks $M_1$ and $M_2$ having equal mass are free to move on a horizontal frictionless surface. $M_2$ is attached to a massless spring as shown in Figure. Initially, $M_2$ is at rest and $M_1$ is moving toward $\mathrm{M}_2$ with speed v and collides head-on with $M_2$.
Then choose the correct option
(a) While the spring is fully compressed, all the KE $M_1$ is stored as PE of the spring.
(b) While spring is fully compressed, the system momentum is not conserved, though final momentum is equal to initial momentum.
(c) If spring is massless, the final state of the $M_1$ is a state of rest.
(d) None of these
Answer:
a) The kinetic energy of $M_1$ is not fully transferred to the spring as its potential energy, and hence, option a is incorrect
b) The law of conservation of mass is valid here since the surface is frictionless; hence, option b is incorrect.
c) if we consider the case where the spring is totally massless, then all the kinetic energy $M_1$ gets transferred to $M_2$. As a result, m1 comes to rest, $M_2$ acquires a velocity v and starts moving. Hence, option c is correct.
Hence, the answer is option (c).
Q2:
A man, of mass m, standing at the bottom of the staircase, of height L climbs it and stands at its top.
(a) Work done by all forces on man is equal to the rise in potential energy, mgL.
(b) Work done by all forces on the man is zero.
(c) Work done by the gravitational force on man is mgL.
(d) The reaction force from a step does not work because the point of application of the force does not move while the force exists.
Answer:
The gravitational force acts in a downward direction. The displacement is labelled L, which is in the upward direction. So, the work done on a man due to the gravitational force amounts to -mgL. Also, the work done to lift the man amounts to the force in the direction of displacement. Hence, the net force amounts to -mgL+ mgL = 0. Hence, statement (b) is correct.
The displacement at the point where the force acts is zero. Hence, the amount of work done by the force is also zero. So, statement (d) is correct.
Hence, the answers are options (b) and (d).
Q3:
A body of mass 0.5 kg travels in a straight line with velocity $v=a x^{\frac{3}{2}}$ where $a=5 \mathrm{~m}^{\frac{-1}{2}} \mathrm{~s}^{-1}$. The work done by the net force during its displacement from $x=0$ to $x=2 m$ is
(a) 1.5J
(b) 50J
(c) 10J
(d) 100J
Answer:
$
\begin{aligned}
& \mathrm{m}=0.5 \mathrm{~kg} \\
& v=a x^{\frac{3}{2}} \\
& a=5 m^{\frac{-1}{2}} s^{-1} \\
& \text { now, acceleration }=a=\frac{d v}{d t}=v \frac{d v}{d x} \\
& =a x^{\frac{3}{2}} \frac{d}{d x} a x^{\frac{3}{2}}=a x^{\frac{3}{2}} \times \frac{3}{2} \times a x^{\frac{1}{2}}=\frac{3}{2} a^2 x^2 \\
& \text { Net force }=m a=m\left(\frac{3}{2} a^2 x^2\right)
\end{aligned}
$
Work done under the variable force.
$
\begin{aligned}
& =\int_{x=0}^{x=2} F . d x=\int_0^2 \frac{3}{2} m a^2 x^2 d x \\
& =\frac{1}{2} m a^2 \times 8=\frac{1}{2} \times(0.5) \times(25) \times 8=50 J
\end{aligned}
$
Hence, the answer is the option(b).
Get well-structured and easy-to-understand NCERT Class 11 Physics Notes Chapter-Wise to strengthen your exam preparation. These notes cover all important concepts, formulas, and derivations as per the latest CBSE syllabus, making them helpful for board exams and competitive exams like JEE & NEET
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Power helps quantify how quickly work is done or energy is transferred. Understanding power is crucial in practical scenarios, such as determining the efficiency of machines and engines or calculating the speed at which energy is consumed.
Work is the transfer of energy when a force is applied to an object, causing displacement. Energy, on the other hand, is the capacity to do work. The unit of work and energy is the joule (J).
The work-energy theorem states that the work done on an object is equal to the change in its kinetic energy.
This chapter introduces fundamental concepts that form the basis for understanding various physical phenomena. It helps explain how energy is transferred, how work is done, and how power is calculated in mechanical systems, making it essential for both academic exams and real-life applications.
The concepts of work, energy, and power are foundational for various topics in competitive exams, especially mechanics and thermodynamics. Understanding these helps in solving a wide range of problems, improving both speed and accuracy in exams.
This ebook serves as a valuable study guide for NEET 2025 exam.
This e-book offers NEET PYQ and serves as an indispensable NEET study material.
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