Basic Algebra
Fact Sheet for Force, Work, Power, Energy, and Torque
Name: ____________________________________
Date: __________________
Directions: Using Lessons 1-12 at http://www.lessontutor.com/eesAlgebra9SeriesP.html,
have students complete the tutorials for homework. Then using equations for Force,
Work, Power, Energy, and Torque, have students algebraically manipulate them to solve
for each variable. Have them show evidence of achievement for the tutorials and
equations in their notebooks.
Equations and Units of Measure:

Force
o Applied force is calculated using the equation F = ma, where F equals
force and is measured in Newtons (N), m equals mass measured in
kilograms (kg), and a is acceleration and is measured in meters per
seconds squared (m/s2).
o Gravitational force is calculated using the equation F = mg, where F
equals force and is measured in Newtons (N), m equals mass measured in
kilograms (kg), and g is gravity on earth and is measured in meters per
second squared (m/s2).
o 1 Newton = 1 kg * m/s2; the definition of the standard metric unit of force
is stated by the above equation. One Newton is defined as the amount of
force required to give a 1-kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s/s.

Work
o Work is calculated using the equation W = F * d * cos, where W equals
work and is measured in Joules (J), F equals force and is measured in
Newtons (N), d equals displacement measured in meters (m), and 
(Theta) is the angle of the path in which work is being done.
o 1 Joule = 1 Newton * 1 meter; one Joule is equivalent to one Newton of
force causing a displacement of one meter.

Power
o Power is calculated using the equation P = W/t, where P equals power and
is measured in Watts (W), W equals work and is measured in Joules (J),
and t is time measured in seconds (s).
o 1 Watt = 1 Joule/second; a Watt is equivalent to a Joule/second. For
historical reasons, the horsepower is occasionally used to describe the
power delivered by a machine. One horsepower is equivalent to
approximately 750 Watts.

Energy
o Potential Energy is calculated using the equation PE = m * g * h, where
PE equals potential energy and is measured in Joules (J), m equals mass
and is measured in kilograms (kg), g is the acceleration of gravity
measured in meters per second squared (m/s2), and h is height measured in
meters (m).
o Kinetic Energy is calculated using the equation KE = ½ * m * v2, where
KE equals kinetic energy and is measured in Joules (J), m equals mass
measured in kilograms (kg), and v is the speed of the object measured in
meters per second (m/s).

1 Joule = 1 kg * m2/s2; a Joule is equivalent to 1 kilogram times a
meter squared per 1 second squared.
o Mechanical Energy is calculated using the equation ME = PE + KE,
where ME equals total mechanical energy and is measured in Joules (J),
PE is potential energy measured in Joules (J), and KE is kinetic energy in
Joules (J).

Torque
o Torque is calculated using the equation T = F * d, where T is torque
measured in Newton-meters (Nm), F is force measured in Newtons (N),
and d equals distance from the fulcrum and is measured in meters (m).
Resources
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/BBoard.html
http://shark.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/physics/torque.html
Torque calculator: http://www.binsfeld.com/techinfo.cfm