So if force =mass * acceleration, then an object moving at a constant velocity has zero acceleration, and thus force = zero.
So is f=ma actually mean net force or some other definition?
And I’ve been told work is force * distance, so sn object moving at a constant velocity would also have zero work? Which doesn’t sound correct so I’m confused on what exactly work defines
In: 5
That analysis is mostly correct although perhaps it makes it easier to think of it not as “work” but “work done”. When thinking about physics problems, the important thing is NOT to switch contexts.
What this means is that the object that is moving at a constant velocity is not doing work or has work being done on it. So FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE OBJECT, there is no gain or loss of energy (for an ELI5 the energy is the work content of the object)
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