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Science project idea on how work and force is measured.
Measuring Work and Force Science Project Idea 
How work and force are measured. We measure forces in terms of pounds or grams of force. The weight of a body is the measure of the force of gravity upon it. Force, however, may be exerted in many directions. An easy method of measuring a force is by the use of a spring balance. Work considers the distance through which the force ss acting. This may be well illustrated in the following way.
Measuring Work and Force Science Experiment Attach a spring balance to a weight; pull on the balance until the weight moves, noting the number of pounds of force represented by the pointer. Suppose the pointer registers one pound of force; now pull the weight along one foot. The amount of work which is done is called one foot-pound. If the weight is moved two feet, two foot-pounds of work are performed. If the force necessary to move a larger weight is two pounds, then the amount of work done in moving it one foot is two foot-pounds. Time is not a factor in considering work done. Whether it takes one minute or a year to move an object a certain distance against a uniform resistance, the amount of work done is the same. You know that whether a man takes an hour or two days to shovel a ton of coal from one place to another, the work done is the same. The rate of work is measured in the terms of horse power. This unit was chosen and named by James Watt who did so much for the development of the steam engine. A horse power was supposed to be the rate at which an average horse works. A machine of one horse power is able to do 33,000 foot-pounds of work per minute or 550 foot-pounds per second.
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