A person pushes horizontally on a heavy box and slides it across the level floor at constant velocity. The person pushes with a 60.0 N force for the first 6.88 m, at which time he begins to tire. The force he exerts then starts to decrease linearly from 60.0 N to 0.00 N across the remaining 6.88 m. How much total work did the person do on the box?
A) 619 J
B) 826 J
C) 495 J
D) 925 J

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The work done by the person is equal to the area under the force-distance graph. The graph is a triangle with a base of 13.76 m and a height of 60.0 N. The area of a triangle is given by (1/2) * base * height, so the work done is (1/2) * 13.76 m * 60.0 N = 412.8 J.

A Person Pushes Horizontally on a Heavy Box and Slides