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Work Calculator

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Enter any two of force, distance, and work - the third is calculated automatically.

Work Calculator

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Work =
100 J
Assumes force is applied in the same direction as motion.

The formula

Work = Force x Distance (with force applied in the direction of motion)
Example

Pushing an object with 20N of force across 5 meters: work = 20 x 5 = 100 joules.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Fill in any two values - force, distance, or work - and leave the third blank.
  2. Read the calculated result.

Why "work" in physics is stricter than the everyday meaning

In physics, work is done only when a force actually causes movement in the direction of that force - holding a heavy box perfectly still, no matter how tiring it feels, technically does zero physics work, since there's no displacement. This calculator assumes the simplest case: force applied exactly in the direction of motion, which gives the maximum possible work for that force and distance. If force is applied at an angle to the direction of motion, only the component of force in that direction actually contributes to the work done.

Common mistakes

Assuming any exerted force counts as "work" even without movement - by the physics definition, zero displacement always means zero work, regardless of how much force or effort was involved.
Ignoring the angle between force and direction of motion - this simple formula only applies when force is applied directly along the path of motion.

Frequently asked questions

How is work related to energy?

Work and energy share the same unit (joules) because work is literally the transfer of energy - doing work on an object changes its energy, whether that's kinetic energy from speeding it up or potential energy from lifting it.

What happens if force is applied at an angle?

Only the component of force in the direction of motion contributes to work - the full formula is Work = Force x Distance x cos(angle), where this calculator assumes a 0° angle (force fully aligned with motion) for simplicity.

How is work related to power?

Power is the rate at which work is done - see our Power Calculator, which divides work by the time taken to do it.

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