How does the direction of the applied force relative to the object's motion affect the amount of work done?
Work is maximum when the force is applied in the same direction as the motion.
Work done by a constant force is \(W = F s \cos\theta\), where θ is the angle between the force and the displacement.
The factor \(\cos\theta\) is largest (equal to 1) when θ = 0°, i.e. when the force acts along the direction of motion, so the work done is maximum, \(W = F s\).
When the force is perpendicular to the motion (θ = 90°), \(\cos 90^\circ = 0\) and no work is done — for example, the centripetal force on a body in uniform circular motion does zero work.
So work does depend on direction, not only on the magnitude of force, and a force along the motion gives positive (not zero) work.
Hence, the answer is Work is maximum when the force is applied in the same direction as the motion.
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