Difference Between Work and Energy for JEE Main 2024

Even though joule (J) refers to the SI unit of both work and energy, specific fundamental differences separate one from the other. Consequently, you should know about the finer points of work and energy individually to get better clarity on the difference between work and energy. 

Here, take note of what work and energy are before moving on to their differences.

It cannot be considered an exaggeration of the obvious if one says that Work and Energy are one of the most important parts of Physics. Well, not only physics but also of our everyday life to be precise. And hence understanding these topics are very much important for the students. Also, the principles of Work and energy are applied in many other areas of science as well. But more often than not students may get a little confused between the work and energy, and hence having the difference between the both are important.

But for understanding this topic the students must have a good explanation of the topic because only having an explanation does not suffice the need of the students, because if the explanation is tough to comprehend then it can only make things worse for the students. Hence, a good explanation, that is to say, the explanation which is easy to understand for the students, is a must. And hence Vedantu provides such a type of solution to the students, for the topic of the difference between Work and Energy.

What is Work? 

Work essentially measures the transfer of energy involved in moving an object by an external force. Moreover, it has to cover a distance in a specific direction with the help of the applied force for it to be considered work. It means the concept of work hinges on that of displacement. 

Some of the Real-Life Examples of Work Include The Following – 

• You lift an object from the ground against the force of gravity that pulls the object down. 

• A person drives his/her car uphill. 

• An individual pulls down a helium balloon suspended in the air towards the ground. 

Note that all these instances show the presence of an external force that helps an object move in a specific direction. Now if you are wondering how work and energy are related to each other, you should know that it acts as a mechanical manifestation of energy.

Besides, the calculation of work is an easy process that you should find convenient to grasp. Suppose, you apply a force ‘f’ (in Newton or N) on an object and it has a displacement of  ‘d’ (in meters or m), then work – 

w = Fd

The SI unit of work is the joule (or J) which is equal to Newton-meter or N-m. On the other hand, the base unit for work is kg m2 s-2. The CGS unit of work is dyne-centimeter or dyn-cm. You can also express it in its base unit which is g cm2 s-2. 

Another interesting implication of work that you should note is that even if you apply a force and the displacement is nil, the work becomes null. For example, you exert the maximum force on a wall to displace it. Since the wall does not change position even with the application of force, no work is being done in this situation. 

To understand the differences and relationship between work and energy, you will have to take note of the definition of energy. 

What is Energy? 

In Physics, energy deals with the capacity of an object to do work. More precisely, energy refers to the ability of a physical system to undergo work. Unlike work, it exists in several forms. This is a vital pointer that must be noted while trying to comprehend the difference between work and energy. 

These forms mainly include basics such as light, sound, and heat. On the other hand, energy also comprises kinetic, mechanical, potential, and electrical energy. Consider the following examples of energy – 

• When you place a boulder on a hill, its restive position possesses potential energy. 

• However, if you roll the boulder down the hill, potential energy converts into kinetic energy. 

• When someone lights an incandescent bulb, it releases both light and heat energy. 

• During a thunderstorm, you can see the lightning through light energy and hear it on account of sound energy. 

The SI unit of energy is the joule (J), where one joule equals the work when a force of 1 N shifts a body by 1 meter. Therefore, 1 J = 1 N-m. However, energy is a scalar quantity because both force and displacement are vector quantities. As a result, their product will be scalar. 

Since you know both work and energy definitions, you should go over the following differences between them. 

What is the Difference Between Work and Energy? 

Work and energy have the following differences - 

• Now that you are aware of the difference between work and energy, do go through similar topics to gain advanced knowledge on this subject. Also, you can download our Vedantu app to access an enhanced learning experience.

Benefits of Having a Clear Understanding Between Work and Energy.

You may think, it is obvious that there the concepts of work and energy are different, and by understanding their meaning and definition you can easily understand the difference. So, yes, it is true that you can understand the difference between both the concepts, that is to say, work and energy, by going through their meaning and definition. But there are quite a few reasons why there should be a clear distinction between Work and Energy.

• It helps in understanding the concept of Work and Energy at a deeper level.

• Since work and energy are very closely related topics, it helps in clearing the confusion between the topic of Work and Energy. Otherwise, such confusion may make you use one for the other. That is to say, taking work for energy and vice versa.

• It helps you in seeing the exact points or the reasons that make work and energy distinctive from each other.

• During the exam times, having the difference between the work and energy in the clear tabular form helps a lot while revising the concept.

An Overview of the Work.

When energy is transferred from an object, or to an object, by using the force, it is called Work, in physics. More often than not, work is represented as the product of displacement and force. In short, work is nothing but the transfer of energy, the energy is transferred in an object by the external force.

Take the cricket ball for an example, when the bowler throws the ball, he transfers the energy that he has produced to the ball. And hence the ball gets thrown. And the same thing happens when the batsman hits the ball.

An Overview of Energy.

The capacity of the object to work is regarded as the energy in physics. The energy from one object to the other. Also, there are various types of energy such as kinetic energy, Potential energy, heat energy, and electrical energy.

If you wish to learn more about energy then you may like to follow this link.