In season 1, episode 2, Leonard claims that the force they used to lift the box is halved. But why? Did we understand the basis of the claim while watching the series? I’ll be attempting to simplify the basics for better understanding.
To derive the answer, let’s break it down into two parts:
- Work Formula
- Understanding the claim
The Work Formula:
The formula used in this case should be:
where,
- F → Force applied on the body
- S → Distance travelled by the body
- θ → Angle between the direction of force and displacement
We use sin(θ) here because work is being done against gravity.
Understanding the claim:
In the episode, Leonard suggests that the required force is halved. Let's analyze this using the work formula.
If the force is applied at an angle of 30° against gravity, the effective force component needed to lift the object is:
Hence, our formula would be:
= F × S × (1/2)
W/S = F/2
2W/S = F (!!!)
Therefore, Leonard’s claim was correct! The force IS being reduced by a factor of 1/2 as they’re lifting at an angle of 30° against gravity.