What is work the product of?

Work is defined in physics as the product of the parallel component of force exerted on an object and the displacement of that object in the direction of the force. Mathematically, this can be represented as:

[ \text{Work} = F \cdot d \cdot \cos(\theta) ]

where ( F ) is the force applied, ( d ) is the displacement, and ( \theta ) is the angle between the force and the direction of displacement. When the force is applied in the same direction as the displacement, ( \theta ) is zero, and the cosine term equals one, simplifying the calculation to ( \text{Work} = F \cdot d ). This highlights that work is a measure of energy transfer that occurs when an object is moved by a force.

The other options do not accurately describe the definition of work. The total weight of an object does not relate directly to work unless a height change is involved. Velocity and time relate more closely to concepts of motion, not work. Lastly, mass and acceleration pertain to Newton's second law, ( F = ma ), and do not specifically address how force and displacement contribute to work. Thus, the correct answer centers