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Why is the work done by a conservative force in a closed loop is zero and by non conservative force it is not necessarily zero for a round trip?
Most Upvoted Answer
Why is the work done by a conservative force in a closed loop is zero ...
If a particle travels in a closed loop, the total work done (the sum of the force acting along the path multiplied by the displacement) by a conservative force is zero.
Work done in the motion of a body over a closed loop is zero only when the body is moving under the action of conservation forces (like gravitational or electrostatic forces).
A conservative force depends only on the position of the object

It is not zero when the forces are non-conservative e.g. frictional forces
Community Answer
Why is the work done by a conservative force in a closed loop is zero ...
Work done by a conservative force in a closed loop is zero, while work done by a non-conservative force is not necessarily zero for a round trip. This can be explained through the concepts of conservative and non-conservative forces, work, and energy.

Conservative Forces:
- A conservative force is a force whose work done on an object is independent of the path taken and only depends on the initial and final positions of the object.
- Examples of conservative forces include gravitational force, electrostatic force, and spring force.

Non-conservative Forces:
- Non-conservative forces are forces whose work done on an object depends on the path taken.
- Examples of non-conservative forces include friction, air resistance, and tension in a rope.

Work and Energy:
- Work is defined as the transfer of energy from one system to another due to the application of a force over a displacement.
- In physics, work is calculated by multiplying the magnitude of the force applied in the direction of displacement by the distance traveled.
- The work-energy theorem states that the work done on an object is equal to the change in its kinetic energy.

Work Done by Conservative Forces:
- When a conservative force acts on an object in a closed loop, such as a complete round trip, the work done by the force is zero.
- This is because, in a closed loop, the object returns to its initial position, and hence, the change in position is zero.
- Since the work done by a conservative force only depends on the initial and final positions, it remains constant along the entire loop, resulting in a net work of zero.

Work Done by Non-conservative Forces:
- Unlike conservative forces, non-conservative forces do not exhibit the property of work being zero in a closed loop.
- The work done by a non-conservative force depends on the path taken by the object and not just its initial and final positions.
- For example, in the case of friction, the work done by friction depends on the distance traveled and the roughness of the surface, leading to a non-zero work even in a closed loop.

Conclusion:
In summary, the work done by a conservative force in a closed loop is zero because it only depends on the initial and final positions of the object. However, the work done by a non-conservative force is not necessarily zero for a round trip as it depends on the path taken by the object. Understanding these concepts helps in analyzing and determining the energy transfers and transformations in different physical systems.
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Newton's CradleThe device consists of a row of five metal balls positioned to just barely touch one another suspended from a frame by thin wires. On a small cradles, the balls are hung from the crossbars by light wire, with the balls at the point of an inverted triangle. This ensures that the balls can only swing in one plane, parallel to the crossbars. If the ball could move on any other plane, it would impart less energy to the other balls in the impact or miss them altogether, and the device wouldn't work as well, if at all. All the balls are, ideally, exactly the same size, weight, mass and density. As long as the balls are all the same size and density, they can be as big or as small as you like. The balls must be perfectly aligned at the center to make the cradle work the best.When a ball on one end of the cradle is pulled away from the others and then released, it strikes the next ball in the cradle, which remains motionless. But the last ball on the opposite end of the row is thrown into the air, then swings back to strike the other balls, starting the chain reaction again in reverse. This device illustrates the three main principles of Physics - conservation of energy, conservation of momentum and friction. Everything that moves has momentum equal to its mass multiplied by its velocity. Like energy, momentum is also conserved. Momentum is a vector quantity, when 1st ball hits 2nd ball, it's traveling in a specific direction, let's say east to west. This means that its momentum is also moving east to west. Any change in direction of the motion brings a change in the momentum, which cannot happen without the influence of an outside force. That is why 1st ball doesn't simply bounce off 2nd ball, the momentum carries the energy through all the balls in a westward direction. It is to remember that the law of conservation only works in a closed system, which is free from any external force. The Newton's cradle is not a closed system. When 5th ball swings out away from the rest of the balls, it is affected by the force of gravity, which brings the ball down. But, the horizontal line of balls at rest, functions as a closed system, free from any influence of any force other than gravity. It's here, during the small time between the first ball's impact and the 5th ball swinging out, that momentum is conserved.What is a closed system?

Newton's CradleThe device consists of a row of five metal balls positioned to just barely touch one another suspended from a frame by thin wires. On a small cradles, the balls are hung from the crossbars by light wire, with the balls at the point of an inverted triangle. This ensures that the balls can only swing in one plane, parallel to the crossbars. If the ball could move on any other plane, it would impart less energy to the other balls in the impact or miss them altogether, and the device wouldn't work as well, if at all. All the balls are, ideally, exactly the same size, weight, mass and density. As long as the balls are all the same size and density, they can be as big or as small as you like. The balls must be perfectly aligned at the center to make the cradle work the best.When a ball on one end of the cradle is pulled away from the others and then released, it strikes the next ball in the cradle, which remains motionless. But the last ball on the opposite end of the row is thrown into the air, then swings back to strike the other balls, starting the chain reaction again in reverse. This device illustrates the three main principles of Physics - conservation of energy, conservation of momentum and friction. Everything that moves has momentum equal to its mass multiplied by its velocity. Like energy, momentum is also conserved. Momentum is a vector quantity, when 1st ball hits 2nd ball, it's traveling in a specific direction, let's say east to west. This means that its momentum is also moving east to west. Any change in direction of the motion brings a change in the momentum, which cannot happen without the influence of an outside force. That is why 1st ball doesn't simply bounce off 2nd ball, the momentum carries the energy through all the balls in a westward direction. It is to remember that the law of conservation only works in a closed system, which is free from any external force. The Newton's cradle is not a closed system. When 5th ball swings out away from the rest of the balls, it is affected by the force of gravity, which brings the ball down. But, the horizontal line of balls at rest, functions as a closed system, free from any influence of any force other than gravity. It's here, during the small time between the first ball's impact and the 5th ball swinging out, that momentum is conserved.Newton’s cradle illustrates the three main principles of Physics

Newton's CradleThe device consists of a row of five metal balls positioned to just barely touch one another suspended from a frame by thin wires. On a small cradles, the balls are hung from the crossbars by light wire, with the balls at the point of an inverted triangle. This ensures that the balls can only swing in one plane, parallel to the crossbars. If the ball could move on any other plane, it would impart less energy to the other balls in the impact or miss them altogether, and the device wouldn't work as well, if at all. All the balls are, ideally, exactly the same size, weight, mass and density. As long as the balls are all the same size and density, they can be as big or as small as you like. The balls must be perfectly aligned at the center to make the cradle work the best.When a ball on one end of the cradle is pulled away from the others and then released, it strikes the next ball in the cradle, which remains motionless. But the last ball on the opposite end of the row is thrown into the air, then swings back to strike the other balls, starting the chain reaction again in reverse. This device illustrates the three main principles of Physics - conservation of energy, conservation of momentum and friction. Everything that moves has momentum equal to its mass multiplied by its velocity. Like energy, momentum is also conserved. Momentum is a vector quantity, when 1st ball hits 2nd ball, it's traveling in a specific direction, let's say east to west. This means that its momentum is also moving east to west. Any change in direction of the motion brings a change in the momentum, which cannot happen without the influence of an outside force. That is why 1st ball doesn't simply bounce off 2nd ball, the momentum carries the energy through all the balls in a westward direction. It is to remember that the law of conservation only works in a closed system, which is free from any external force. The Newton's cradle is not a closed system. When 5th ball swings out away from the rest of the balls, it is affected by the force of gravity, which brings the ball down. But, the horizontal line of balls at rest, functions as a closed system, free from any influence of any force other than gravity. It's here, during the small time between the first ball's impact and the 5th ball swinging out, that momentum is conserved.When the momentum is conserved in Newton’s cradle?

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Why is the work done by a conservative force in a closed loop is zero and by non conservative force it is not necessarily zero for a round trip?
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