I like your mathematical expertise when dealing with problems in golf physics.
However, sometimes you get it wrong.
You wrote-: "Nope.... sometimes forces do no work and when the don't do work they can't contribute power (or store energy)
Lets step back.
Work is Force X Distance (has units of energy)
Power is Work / time."
Your formula is wrong when you state that work = force X distance.
One also needs to consider the work force needed to stay in balance when moving in a circular manner. Centripetal force is constantly operating to keep an object in its circular track while traveling at a constant speed - and if the centripetal force is operant, then it is contributing to work (energy) output by preventing the object from flying off its circular path.
Consider two cars having a 100 miles race. Car A has to travel 100 miles on a straight track. If car A completes the race in 1 hour by traveling at 100mph, then car A has expended a certain amount of energy (work output) to complete the race in 1 hour. Now imagine car B having to travel 100 miles on a circular track. If car B completes the race in 1 hour by traveling at a constant speed of 100mph, then car B has expended much more energy (work output) in the same time than car A. The extra energy was expended in trying to keep the car on the circular track at all times while it was racing around a constantly present amount of road bend at 100mph. That extra energy is the centripetal force energy required to constantly centripetally accelerate the car (to constantly keep the car moving along a circular path, rather than a straight path).
Threaded Mode
