Answer to Question #141633 in Physics for Saad

Question

If you push a crate with 40 N of force at an angle of 30o and your friend pushes with a force of 40 N horizontally, the amount of work you are doing is _______________ the amount of work your friend is doing on the crate.

Answer 1

If you push a crate with 40 N of force at an angle of 30° and your friend pushes with a force of 40 N horizontally, the amount of work you are doing is less than the amount of work your friend is doing on the crate.

Why?

The work is

$$W=Fd\text{ cos}\alpha.$$

The angle alpha here is the angle between the force and displacement vectors. So, the greatest value is when $\text{cos}\alpha=1, \alpha=0°.$