Work

Mechanics · 1829

Equation: W = F · d = ∫ F · ds
Field: Mechanics
Year: 1829

Symbols

W work, in joules · F force · d displacement, or ds a step along the path · F · d the dot product: only the component of force along the motion counts

Significance

Force times the distance moved along it. Carry a suitcase across a level floor and you do no work on it, however tired you are; lift it a metre and you do. Coriolis gave the quantity its name and its ½mv² partner in 1829. It is what a heat engine delivers, what a pulley system trades force against, and what an integral of force along a path always means.

Skills

Rigging a Load with Pulleys

Requires

Dot Product Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

Required By

Kinetic Energy Work–Energy Theorem Gravitational Potential Energy Power Mechanical Advantage First Law of Thermodynamics

Referenced by

equation

Dot Product First Law of Thermodynamics Fundamental Theorem of Calculus Gravitational Potential Energy Kinetic Energy Mechanical Advantage Power Work–Energy Theorem

skill

Rigging a Load with Pulleys

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From the Equations database in Notion, last edited 2026-08-18. This page is the row, rendered by the build; nothing on it is written by hand.