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Use Hooke's law to determine how far the spring would stretch downward once the baby is placed in the seat. How far does the bottom end of the spring move?

User Vaizki
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2 Answers

4 votes

Final answer:

The spring constant can be calculated using Hooke's law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the distance it is stretched. In this case, the spring constant is 313.6 N/m.

Step-by-step explanation:

The spring constant can be calculated using Hooke's law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the distance it is stretched. The formula for Hooke's law is F = -kx, where F is the force, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement. Rearranging the formula, we get k = -F/x.

In this case, the spring stretches 0.250 m while supporting an 8.0-kg baby. The force can be calculated using the baby's weight, which is F = mass * gravity = 8.0 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 = 78.4 N.

Plugging the values into the formula, we get k = -78.4 N / 0.250 m = -313.6 N/m. The negative sign indicates that the spring is being stretched downwards. Therefore, the spring constant is 313.6 N/m.

User Charles Williams
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7.6k points
3 votes

Final answer:

The spring constant can be calculated using Hooke's law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the distance it is stretched. In this case, the spring constant is 313.6 N/m.

Step-by-step explanation:

The spring constant can be calculated using Hooke's law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the distance it is stretched. The formula for Hooke's law is F = -kx, where F is the force, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement. Rearranging the formula, we get k = -F/x.

In this case, the spring stretches 0.250 m while supporting an 8.0-kg baby. The force can be calculated using the baby's weight, which is F = mass * gravity = 8.0 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 = 78.4 N.

Plugging the values into the formula, we get k = -78.4 N / 0.250 m = -313.6 N/m. The negative sign indicates that the spring is being stretched downwards. Therefore, the spring constant is 313.6 N/m.

User Boyet
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7.0k points