Final answer:
The distance a rubber band stretches is governed by Hooke's Law and the spring constant, which can change depending on whether rubber bands are in series or parallel.
Step-by-step explanation:
The distance a rubber band travels when stretched can be described using Hooke's Law, which relates the force F exerted on the rubber band to its displacement x by the proportionality constant k (the spring constant). When a 100-g mass stretches a rubber band 3 cm, this can be used to calculate the spring constant of the rubber band. If two similar rubber bands are put together in parallel, the combined spring constant becomes double that of a single band, so the stretch would still be 3 cm under a 100-g load. However, if the same two rubber bands are tied in series, the effective spring constant is halved, and the stretch will double to 6 cm under the same load.