SIMPLIFIED: "7.1: Work- The Scientific Definition"

Link: https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/College_Physics/College_Physics_1e_(OpenStax)/07%3A_Work_Energy_and_Energy_Resources/7.01%3A_Work-_The_Scientific_Definition 

Note: The image above is from the original article.

The linked article talks about work. Work is a concept that is usually taught with energy, and this work is not the same thing as someone working a job. In terms of physics, work is exerting a force on an object and therefore causing that object to move a certain distance. Here is the mathematical equation to calculate work: W = F times d times cos (theta), where W represents work, F is the force exerted, and d represents the distance that the object was moved. The unit for work is a joule, and this is the same unit for all types of energies. There is another simplified article on this website about energy so read that if you want to learn more about energy. Looking at the equation, increasing the force you exert on an object will increase the amount of work you are doing, and increasing the distance that the object moves will also increase the amount of work you do. 

I think that it is very important to acknowledge the cos(theta) part of the equation. This is because exerting a force on an object does not automatically mean that you are doing work. The theta is the angle between the direction of the force you are exerting and the direction the object is moving in. If the direction of the force and the direction the object moves in are in the exact same direction, then theta is 0, because there is literally 0 angle between the direction of the force and the direction the object is moving in. Since cos(0) is equal to 1, the work simply becomes the force multiplied by the distance. However, if the direction of the force is perpendicular to the movement, then you are technically doing zero work. Here is an example: if you are holding a box in front of you then walking forward, your palms are exerting a force on the box in the upward direction. However, the box is moving a distance to the right. This means that the direction of the force is perpendicular to the direction of movement, and therefore there is no work being done. So sadly, a physics teacher may have you carry textbooks between classrooms and then claim that she gave you zero work to do.