At a glance
Key signals
0% cross fields · reaches 5 more
- Physics
- Mechanics
- Explanation
- Examples
- Misconception
- Sourced relations 3
- Attribution
Dependencies
What this concept builds on and what it makes possible — derived from the atlas’s dependency, causal and structural relations, not from every related edge.
Foundations · builds on
Workdepends onForceEstablished
work depends on force.
Mechanism: Work depends on force: it is done when a force moves something, equal to the force times the distance moved along it.
- University Physics (OpenStax) verifiedmoderate evidence
System context
Workis aEnergy transferEstablished
work is a kind of Energy transfer.
Mechanism: Work is energy transferred to or from an object by a force acting over a distance.
- University Physics (OpenStax) verifiedmoderate evidence
Structural role & consequence
Interpreted from the current atlas graph — what the connections mean, not just how many there are.
Currently dark in the atlas: no key date stored · 3 of 3 of its relations lack claim-level evidence.
atlas representation · Describes the current Thinking OS representation, not the state of the world.
Builds on 1 foundation (requires / depends-on / derived-from / emerges-from).
structural · Structural graph analysis — not a claim of importance, causation or history.
Structural neighbourhood: 3 → 21 → 104 concepts reachable within 3 hops.
structural · Structural reach — being reachable is not the same as being understood.
All 3 of its relationships stay within its own discipline — a field-specific concept in the current atlas.
structural · Structural graph analysis — not a claim of importance, causation or history.
cross-field
3 within-field, 0 cross-field
Strengths & constraints
Constraints
- Evidence coverage currently thin in the atlas — few of its relationships carry claim-level evidence. atlas representation
- No dated history stored — the atlas records no key date for this concept. atlas representation
Conditions
- Its dependency reading rests on 1 foundation relation. structural
- Read structurally — most of its relationships carry no external evidence yet, so claims here are graph-derived. structural
Dependency radial
What this concept builds on (left) and what it makes possible (right) — derived from dependency and causal relations.
Seen through each discipline
How this concept sits in each of its fields — derived from its real connections in the graph, not asserted.
Through this lens it connects to Energy transfer, Force and Simple machine.
Formula
Source: Wikidata
Check yourself
A quick check against a common misconception. Nothing is scored — picking the tempting-but-wrong answer just flags an idea worth revisiting.
Which statement is correct?
If you feel tired, you must be doing a lot of work.
Physics work needs movement in the direction of the force. Holding a heavy bag still feels hard but transfers no mechanical energy, so it is zero work.
Look for: Learner rates work by muscular effort rather than by force times distance.
Related ideas to explore
Concepts that look related but are not yet connected here — candidates for a connection to reason about, not established links.
This idea also appears in…
The same structure shows up in other disciplines. These are real recurrences drawn from the graph — a starting point for asking “what carries over, and what changes?”
Energy transformation35 disciplines · 49 concepts
Concepts
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
shares a mental model
In physics, work means using a force to move something along a distance. Lifting a box does work on it; just holding the box still — however tiring — does no physics work, because it doesn't move.
Work is the energy transferred when a force acts over a displacement: W = F·d·cos θ, measured in joules. Only the force component along the motion counts, so a force at right angles to the path (like gravity on a level slide) does no work.
Mental models at work here
- Connects 3 other ideas across 2 disciplines.
- A cross-disciplinary bridge — its connections reach into 5 other fields.
- Most of its connections are of the “Kind & structure” kind.
- It exercises 1 reusable thinking pattern.
Derived from the graph’s real structure — observations, not a score.
Sources
- Wikipedia (English & German editions) verifiedmoderate evidence
- Wikidata verifiedmoderate evidence
- University Physics (OpenStax) verifiedmoderate evidence