Final answer:
Hooke's Law in physics states that the restoring force is directly proportional to displacement or deformation, acting opposite to it. The formula F = -kx describes this relationship with k being the spring constant representing system stiffness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept being discussed is Hooke's Law, which is a principle in physics relating to elasticity in materials. Hooke's Law states that the restoring force in a material is directly proportional to the deformation or displacement from its original position, and this force acts in the opposite direction to the displacement. Mathematically, this is represented by the formula F = -kx, where F is the force exerted by the spring, x is the displacement, and k is the spring constant, which denotes the stiffness of the system. When an object is deformed by a force and then released, the elasticity causes it to return to its original shape; the deformation is proportional to the force applied. In the context of this question, deformation refers to the change in shape or position of an object due to the action of forces.