Question

Which factor affects elastic potential energy but not gravitational potential energy?

spring constant
acceleration due to gravity
distance from a given position
amount of matter in the object

Answer 1

Which factor affects elastic potential energy but not gravitational potential energy? A ).spring constant

Answer 2

spring constant

Step-by-step explanation:

The elastic potential energy is given by:

`U=(1)/(2)kx^2`

where

k is the spring constant

x is the compression/stretching of the spring

Therefore, from the formula we see that the elastic potential energy is affected only by k (the spring constant) and x (the distance from the equilibrium position of the spring).

On the contrary, gravitational potential energy is given by:

`U=mgh`

where

m is the mass of the object

g is the gravitational acceleration

h is the height of the object relative to a certain position

So, we see that gravitational potential energy depends on:

- acceleration due to gravity (g)

- distance from a given position (h)

- amount of matter in the object (the mass, m)

Therefore, the only factor that affects only elastic potential energy but not gravitational potential energy is the spring constant.