Question

A 60 kg driver gets into an empty taptap to start the day's work. the springs compress 1.5Ã10â2 m . what is the effective spring constant of the spring system in the taptap?

Answer 1

The force applied to the spring is the weight of the driver:

`W=mg=(60 kg)(9.81 m/s^2)=588.6 N`
Under this force, the spring compresses by
`x=1.5 \cdot 10^(-2)m`. We can find the spring's constant k by using Hook's law:

`F=kx`
And so

`k= (F)/(x)= (588.6 N)/(1.5 \cdot 10^(-2)m)=39240 N/m`