What is the formula for calculating work done?

The formula for work done is defined as the product of force applied in the direction of the displacement and the distance moved by the object. The concept incorporates the angle between the force vector and the direction of displacement, which is where the cosine function comes into play.

In the appropriate context, if a force is applied at an angle θ to the direction of movement, the effective component of the force that contributes to work is the adjacent side of the triangle formed by the angle θ, which can be calculated using the cosine function. Therefore, the correct formulation is Work = Force x Distance x cos(θ). This means that only the component of the force that acts in the direction of the displacement actually does work on the object.

This understanding reflects real-life applications where force may not always be applied in the exact same direction as the movement, necessitating the use of cos(θ) to compute the true work done. Other formulas provided do not accurately describe the work-energy relationship in the context of mechanics.