A student pushes a 6 kg box up an inclined plane with a...

A student pushes a 6 kg box up an inclined plane with a height of 10 m. How much work does gravity do on the box during this process?
$(\mathrm{A})-1,200 \mathrm{J}$
(B) $-600 \mathrm{J}$
(C) 600 $\mathrm{J}$
(D) $1,200 \mathrm{J}$

Key Concepts

Work

Work is a measure of energy transfer when a force moves an object over a distance. It is calculated as the dot product of the force vector and the displacement vector, meaning that only the component of the force in the direction of the movement contributes to the work done. In physics, work is expressed in joules and can be positive or negative depending on the direction of the force relative to the displacement.

Gravitational Work

Gravitational work refers to the work done by the force of gravity when an object is moved in a gravitational field. Since gravity is a conservative force, the work done by gravity depends only on the vertical displacement of the object, and it is often calculated as the negative change in gravitational potential energy. This means that when an object is lifted against gravity, gravity does negative work, indicating that energy is being stored as potential energy.

Gravitational Potential Energy

Gravitational potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its position in a gravitational field, typically related to its height above a reference level. It is quantitatively defined as the product of the object's mass, the acceleration due to gravity, and the height (mgh). This concept is crucial in understanding energy transformations in systems where objects are raised or lowered in a gravitational field.

Conservative Forces

Conservative forces, such as gravity, are forces for which the work done moving an object between two points is independent of the path taken. The work done by a conservative force can be fully recovered as potential energy. This property simplifies the analysis of energy changes in physical systems by allowing the use of potential energy functions to describe the system's behavior.

Please give Ace some feedback