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Work = Mass moved a given distance.
Sure. . .for a physicist. I would argue that the far more common definition of "work" for basically all the rest of humanity is "what useful stuff got done?". If the same useful thing got done, say moving a 500lb bolder from one side of the yard to another for <reason>, then it does not matter if that work got done by a guy with a 100lb prybar or a 600 ton crane. The same bolder got moved so the same amount of work got done.

Sure, the physicist would argue that the 600 ton crane is far more massive than a dude with a prybar, so the over all amount of "work" that got done was far greater with the crane, but for the rest of humanity that is simply a question of efficiency, not one of actual work being done.

Work in the physics sense and work in the practical sense are both valid definitions of the word. And if you can come up with another valid definition of that word then the conclusions based on that assumed definition will be correct too. Sure it may be correct for only a very limited niche of humanity, but since no one bothered to restrict the definitions in the original question we cannot rule out this conclusion as incorrect.

Incidentally this is why I really hate such open ended questions being posed on social media; they bait different assumed definitions and get people arguing with each other over which one of the assumed sets of criteria are "more correct". This of course drives "engagement" but also drives flame wars and instills a growing sense of "us vs. them", conditioning people to take hardline stances on topics that have legitimate alternative viewpoints.

Seriously, next time you see a flame war going on in the comments section of one of these "which answer is right" posts, look up some of the words being used. Do any of them have multiple definitions? How about context sensitive definitions (like "work" does in the common vernacular vs. the hard sciences)? I bet you if you dissect these arguments and distill them down to their core essence they will all be arguments over which definition is the "correct" one to use, and very few people in that same comments section will even know that that is the roots of the arguments they are all making.

My argument is "if you fail to properly scope your question to eliminate multiple definitions then any answer based on a valid definition can be correct". Or, more bluntly, your failure to define your terms does not make me incorrect when I use some random correct definition of those terms to come to a conclusion. You have simply stated a question that has multiple correct answer, depending on which set of assumptions you choose to use when answering it.
 
Sure. . .for a physicist. I would argue that the far more common definition of "work" for basically all the rest of humanity is "what useful stuff got done?". If the same useful thing got done, say moving a 500lb bolder from one side of the yard to another for <reason>, then it does not matter if that work got done by a guy with a 100lb prybar or a 600 ton crane. The same bolder got moved so the same amount of work got done.

Sure, the physicist would argue that the 600 ton crane is far more massive than a dude with a prybar, so the over all amount of "work" that got done was far greater with the crane, but for the rest of humanity that is simply a question of efficiency, not one of actual work being done.

Work in the physics sense and work in the practical sense are both valid definitions of the word. And if you can come up with another valid definition of that word then the conclusions based on that assumed definition will be correct too. Sure it may be correct for only a very limited niche of humanity, but since no one bothered to restrict the definitions in the original question we cannot rule out this conclusion as incorrect.

Incidentally this is why I really hate such open ended questions being posed on social media; they bait different assumed definitions and get people arguing with each other over which one of the assumed sets of criteria are "more correct". This of course drives "engagement" but also drives flame wars and instills a growing sense of "us vs. them", conditioning people to take hardline stances on topics that have legitimate alternative viewpoints.

Seriously, next time you see a flame war going on in the comments section of one of these "which answer is right" posts, look up some of the words being used. Do any of them have multiple definitions? How about context sensitive definitions (like "work" does in the common vernacular vs. the hard sciences)? I bet you if you dissect these arguments and distill them down to their core essence they will all be arguments over which definition is the "correct" one to use, and very few people in that same comments section will even know that that is the roots of the arguments they are all making.

My argument is "if you fail to properly scope your question to eliminate multiple definitions then any answer based on a valid definition can be correct". Or, more bluntly, your failure to define your terms does not make me incorrect when I use some random correct definition of those terms to come to a conclusion. You have simply stated a question that has multiple correct answer, depending on which set of assumptions you choose to use when answering it.
It seemed like a pretty simple physics type question to me. My simple mind failed to see how more edumacated folks would see this as a climbing the corporate ladder event.
 
I have noticed that most of the popular recommendations for exercise (work) do not take into account a person's weight. Exercise typically involves moving mass a certain distance. The mass could be your body weight, weights in a gym or a combination of the two, etc. The more mass you move or the greater the distance you move a given mass = more exercise (work) you have done.

The most popular recommendation is 150min a week of exercise (work). This recommendation generally doesn't distinguish between a 105lb front desk greeter or a 220 pound logger.

If we were to take weight and daily activities (other than intentional exercise) into account, we could probably come up with better more realistic exercise recommendations.
 
Two people, each weighing 130lbs walked 3 miles at a pace of 3 miles per hour. One person carried a backpack weighing 100lbs. The other person carried a backpack weighing 30lbs. Which person did more work?
I think it depends on what they have in those backpacks.

The guy with the 30lb pack probably has some quality guns in it: an Ed Brown 1911, a vintage West German P220, a Colt Python. This guy put in some long hours at work, saving up a nice chunk of change to buy these guns.

The guy with the 100lb pack has it loaded down with Tauruses, Hi-Points, Jennings and such, inexpensive guns that he picked up really cheap. I'm sure there's a Rossi, an RG10, and an old Spanish revolver in there somewhere too, along with various parts and pieces. This guy went to a lot of work finding and acquiring his treasures, and trying to make them function well.

In short, it's hard to say. Both of these guys did a lot of work, each in their own way. I'd say it's a toss-up.

:D
 
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In the physics sense the weight of the gravel and the wight of the dozer counts (or in the original question the weight of the person). So a bigger dozer does more work since it is moving more mass (weigh of dozer + weight of gravel) and similarly the bigger person is doing more work to move the mass of their body.
I think you have it backwards. In physics, W = fd, or Work = force X distance. It is defined as the amount of energy that is transferred to an object by an external force. So it doesn't matter whether the dozer is large or small, it takes the same amount of force to move an equal amount of gravel over an equal distance, and the same amount of energy is transferred to that gravel in the process. The energy needed to move the dozer is not transferred to the object in question, so as defined by physics, it does not count as work.
 
It seemed like a pretty simple physics type question to me.

I have noticed that most of the popular recommendations for exercise (work) do not take into account a person's weight. Exercise typically involves moving mass a certain distance. The mass could be your body weight, weights in a gym or a combination of the two, etc. The more mass you move or the greater the distance you move a given mass = more exercise (work) you have done.
Work and exercise are not necessarily equivalent concepts. Work as defined by physics involves displacement. Something has to be moved. Exercise can be had without doing any work, in the strict sense. Imagine doing an isometric exercise where you lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet against a wall. You apply 50 lbs. of force to the wall with each foot for 5 min.

Have you exercised? Yes. Have your burned calories? Yes. Will you strengthen your muscles? Yes.

Did you do any work? No.

Unless of course, you managed to move the wall.

:s0149:
 
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Work and exercise and not necessarily equivalent concepts. Work as defined by physics involves displacement. Something has to be moved. Exercise can be had without doing any work, in the strict sense. Imagine doing an isometric exercise where you lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet against a wall. You apply 50 lbs. of force to the wall with each foot for 5 min.

Have you exercised? Yes. Have your burned calories? Yes. Will you strengthen your muscles? Yes.

Did you do any work? No.

Unless of course, you managed to move the wall.

:s0149:
You are spot on and that is why I used the word work rather than exercise in my original question.
 
Two people each walked 3 miles through a forest at a pace of 3 miles per hour. One of the persons weighed 260lbs the other person weighed 130lbs.
They both pass out and fall over. Did they make a noise?
The skinny one did when the fat one fell on top. Probably something like "get off me" the way my ex wife used to
 

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