A woman carries a heavy box across a room at a constant speed. How much work does she do on the box while walking ?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Work is defined as the force applied to an object times the distance over which it's applied in the direction of the force. Since the woman carries the box at a constant speed horizontally, the force she applies is vertical (to counteract gravity), but she moves the box horizontally. Thus, there's no displacement in the direction of the applied force, so no work is done on the box by the woman in terms of physics.

A Woman Carries a Heavy Box Across a Room at a Constant