Question

A spring with a spring constant of 52N/m sits on a desk. The spring is 34cm long. A block of mass 0.12kg is placed on top of the spring. How high above the desk does the block rest?

Answer 1

H = 31.7 cm

Step-by-step explanation:

Given:

k = 52 N/m - Spring rate

L = 34 cm = 0.34 m - Spring length

m = 0.12 kg

g = 9.8 m/s²

____________

H - ?

Block weight:

F = m*g = 0.12·9.8 ≈ 1.18 N

According to Hooke's law:

F = k·ΔL

The spring is compressed by:

ΔL = F / k = 1.18 / 52 ≈ 0.023 м

Height of the block above the table:

H = L -ΔL = 0.34 - 0.023 = 0.317 m or H = 31.7 cm