Question

An m = 5.85 kg block of wood (density = 659 kg/m³) is connected to the spring and the mass-spring system is allowed to come to static equilibrium. What is the elongation, delta l, of the spring?

Answer 1

The question deals with finding the elongation of a spring attached to a wood block, using the Hooke's Law equation, which relates force, spring constant, and elongation. Data provided for two different masses allows us to calculate the spring constant for the required elongation calculation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question concerns the elongation of a spring in static equilibrium when attached to a block of wood. To determine the spring elongation, or delta l, we use Hooke's Law, which states that the force exerted by the spring is proportional to the distance it is stretched or compressed, represented by F = k * delta l, where k is the spring constant, and delta l is the elongation or compression of the spring from its equilibrium position.

To calculate the force constant of the spring (k), we can use the data that when a 0.300-kg mass is attached, the spring stretches to 0.200 m, and when a 1.95-kg mass is attached, it stretches to 0.750 m. By comparing these two states, we can find the spring constant using the differences in force and displacement.