Final answer:
The question involves calculating elastic potential energy of a spring when stretched and compressed, using the formula U = 1/2 kx², where U is the potential energy, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement. Without the spring constant, a hypothetical example was given assuming k as 520 N/m, resulting in 10.4 J when stretched by 0.20 m and 0.65 J when compressed by 0.05 m.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns elastic potential energy of a spring in two different scenarios: stretched and compressed states. To find the potential energy stored in a spring, we can use the formula for elastic potential energy, which is U = ½ kx², where U is the elastic potential energy, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position. Unfortunately, the spring constant is not provided in the student's question, but for a hypothetical spring with a constant of 520 N/m (assuming the given force applied corresponds to the spring constant), the potential energy when it is stretched by 0.20 m would be U = ½ × 520 N/m × (0.20 m)² = 10.4 J. A similar calculation can be made for when the spring is compressed by 5.0 cm (0.05 m), resulting in U = ½ × 520 N/m × (0.05 m)² = 0.65 J.