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A spring whose spring constant is 250 lbf/in has an initial force of 100 lbf acting on it. Determine the work, in Btu, required to compress it another 1 in.

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Final answer:

The work required to compress the spring another 1 in is 0.01324 Btu.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the work required to compress the spring, we can use the formula:

Work = (1/2) k x^2

Where k is the spring constant and x is the compression distance.

In this case, the spring constant is given as 250 lbf/in, which can be converted to N/m by using the conversion factor 1 lbf/in = 175.126836 N/m.

The force constant of the spring in N/m is therefore 250 lbf/in x 175.126836 N/m = 43,781.709 N/m.

The compression distance x is given as 1 in, which can be converted to meters by using the conversion factor 1 in = 0.0254 m.

Plugging in the values, we have:

Work = (1/2) (43,781.709 N/m) (0.0254 m)^2

Work = 13.97883 J

Finally, we can convert the work from joules to Btu using the conversion factor 1 J = 0.000947817 Btu.

Therefore, the work required to compress the spring another 1 in is 13.97883 J x 0.000947817 Btu/J = 0.01324 Btu.

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