Question

A 5 kg mass, hung onto a spring, causes the spring to stretch 7.0 cm. What is the spring constant? What is the potential energy of the spring?

Answer 1

Given,

The mass is m=5 kg.

The extensionis d=7.0 cm

The force is

F=mg

F=5x0.07=0.35N

Thus the spring constant is:

`k=(F)/(d)=(0.35)/(0.07)=(5N)/(m)`

The potential energy is:

`U=(1)/(2)kd^2=(1)/(2)*5*(0.07)^2=0.012Nm^2`