NDA2025General AbilityGeneral ScienceActual
Which one of the following statements for the work done by gravity on a body is NOT correct?
Options
- AWork done is independent of the path followed by the body
- BWork done depends only on the vertical distance separating the initial and the final position of the body
- CWork done depends on the path followed by the body
- DWork done is zero if the body is displaced horizontally to the force of gravity
Correct answer
C. Work done depends on the path followed by the body
Step-by-step solution
The gravitational force is a conservative force. For any conservative force, the work done is independent of the path taken and depends only on the initial and final positions of the body. Specifically for gravity, the work done is given by W = mgh , where h is the vertical displacement. Thus, it depends only on the vertical distance separating the initial and final positions. If the displacement is purely horizontal, the angle between the gravitational force (downwards) and the displacement is 90^ . The work done