Question

A 3.0 kg block slides down a frictionless wedge of height 3.0 meters starting from rest. it then traverses a 2.0 meter rough patch with a coefficient of kinetic friction 0.35. it then gets to a smooth area where it compresses a horizontal spring of spring constant 50 n/m.

a. how much is the spring compressed when the mass briefly comes to a stop?

Answer 1

The spring will be compressed by 0.6 meters (or 60 cm) when the mass briefly comes to a stop.

Step-by-step explanation:

The spring compression is given by Hooke's Law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is proportional to its displacement from equilibrium. The equation is F = -kx, where F is the force, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement. In this case, the force is zero when the mass briefly comes to a stop, so we can set F = 0 and solve for x. With a spring constant of 50 N/m, the spring will be compressed by 0.6 meters (or 60 cm) when the mass briefly comes to a stop.