Question

John carries a 175-N suitcase up three flights of stairs ( a height of 10.0m) and then pushes it with a horizontal force of 36.0N at a constant speed of 0.5m/s for a horizontal distance of 20.0meters. How much work does John do on his suitcase during this entire motion? Show complete solution.

Answer 1

Let's first find the work that John does on his suitcase when he carries it up three flights of stairs:

$$W_1=Fh=175\ N\times10\ m=1750\ J.$$

Then, we can find the work that John does on his suitcase when he pushes it with a horizontal force along a horizontal distance of 20.0 meters:

$$W_2=Fd=36\ N\times20\ m=720\ J.$$

Finally, we can find the total work that John does on his suitcase:

$$W=W_1+W_2=1750\ J+720\ J=2470\ J.$$