Force and Work - Applet

Let's start out our exploration of the relationship between work, force, and displacement by moving the box below around (via mouse-drag, button-click, or arrow keys on the keyboard). The work you have to do against the force of gravity and/or friction is calculated and displayed numerically and graphically in the upper part of the applet. You can also change the mass, m, of the box and the coefficient of kinetic fraction, m, by means of the sliders on the left side (after you do this, you may want to press the reset button).

The initial position of the box is indicated by the gray shadow. Please try and move the box around on the ground as well as off the ground, placing it back to its initial position in the end. Observations?