Joule: RRRise and Shine Adabot! It’s time for work!
Adabot: Work?
Joule: Work!
Adabot: Ok!
Adabot: Who are you? – and what are we working on?
Joule: My name is James Prescott Joule - perhaps you’ve heard of me?
Adabot: I think so - aren’t you a scientist?
Joule: Exactly! I’ve spent my entire career studying the way things work.
Adabot: What do you mean by work, exactly?
Joule: So happy you asked! Let’s get working and I’ll explain!
Adabot: umm - ok.
Joule: Long ago I defined work as force multiplied by distance. So if we know how much force is applied over a certain distance, then we can know how much work has been accomplished.
Adabot: Force multiplied by distance?
Joule: Exactly! As I’m sure you know, It takes much more work to lift something up above your head than it does to raise it a few inches off the ground. And when we measure force multiplied by distance, we do so using a unit of measurement known as the joule.
Adabot: Wait, I thought you were named Joule?
Joule: I am! I named this unit of measurement after myself - it is my life’s work after all.
Adabot: That makes sense.
Joule: Let me give you an example.
Adabot: ok
Joule: To the table!
Adabot: To the table!
Adabot: Ooh - how ‘bout them apples!
Joule: Indeed, Adabot. So, it takes a force of about 1 Newton to lift this apple. And if I lift this apple 1 meter then I’ve done 1 Joule of work!
Adabot: Ok - but what if you lifted forty apples?
Joule: Forty apples would be forty joules of work!
Adabot: Woah - that’s a lot of work!.
Joule: Indeed.
Adabot: Indeed.
Joule: So if we light this 3 Watt LED for 3 seconds- then we’ve done 9 Joules of work: 3 watts times 3 seconds equals 9 joules.
Now, similarly - If we light this 60 Watt incandescent bulb for one hour, then we’ll have done 216,000 Joules of work.
Adabot: Woah - that’s a lot of joules!
Joule: Exactly. So, if you really wanted to save power,you might consider using something like this - a 12 watt LED bulb.
Adabot: Oh - that would be smart move.
Joule: Indeed, Adabot.
Adabot: So, to calculate joules … we multiply force and distance … or power and time.
Joule: Precisely Adabot!
Joule: So - are you ready to get to work?
Adabot: I think so …
Joule: Good - because we’re scheduled for 5,000 joules of work today.
Adabot: Wait - what?!
Joule: Come on Adabot! Let’s make hay while the sun is shining!
Adabot: Wait - there’s hay now too?!
Joule: It’s just an expression, Adabot - come on!
Page last edited August 26, 2016
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