Enter the force (N) and the distance (m) (and optionally the angle) into the calculator to determine the work (energy transferred). If you know speed and time instead of distance, use the Power/Time tab.
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Energy from Force Formula
The following equation is used to calculate the Energy from Force.
E = F*d*cos(θ)
- Where E is the work done (energy transferred) (Joules)
- F is the applied force (N)
- d is the displacement (m)
- θ is the angle between the force and the displacement
To calculate energy (work) from a force, multiply the force by the displacement and by cos(θ). When the force is along the direction of motion, θ = 0° and the formula simplifies to E = F·d.
| Foot‑pound force (ft·lbf) | Joules (J) |
|---|---|
| 0.25 | 0.339 |
| 0.5 | 0.678 |
| 1 | 1.356 |
| 2 | 2.712 |
| 5 | 6.779 |
| 10 | 13.558 |
| 15 | 20.337 |
| 20 | 27.116 |
| 25 | 33.895 |
| 30 | 40.675 |
| 40 | 54.233 |
| 50 | 67.791 |
| 75 | 101.686 |
| 100 | 135.582 |
| 150 | 203.373 |
| 200 | 271.164 |
| 250 | 338.954 |
| 300 | 406.745 |
| 500 | 677.909 |
| 1000 | 1355.818 |
| Conversions use 1 ft·lbf = 1.355817948 J (exact to 6 dp shown). Inverse: 1 J ≈ 0.737562 ft·lbf. | |
How to Calculate Energy from Force?
The following example problems outline the steps and information needed to calculate the Energy from Force.
Example Problem #1
- First, determine the total force (N). In this example, the total force is 4 N.
- Next, determine the distance (m). For this problem, the distance is 8 m.
- Next, determine the angle between the force and displacement. In this case, the force is along the direction of motion, so θ = 0°.
- Finally, calculate the Energy from Force using the formula above.
E = F*d*cos(θ)
Inserting the values from above and solving the equation yields:
E = 4*8*cos(0°) = 32 (Joules)
Example Problem #2
Using the same method as above, first, we need to measure or determine the variables required by the equation. For this example problem, these are provided as follows:
total force (N) = 9
distance (m) = 4
angle (θ) = 0°
Enter these given values into the calculator or the formula above yields:
E = 9*4*cos(0°) = 36 (Joules)
