A man weighing 600N steps on a scale that contains a spring. The spring is compressed 1cm under their weight. Find the force constant of the spring and total work done on its compression.
relevant equations: F = k*x F is force, k is spring constant and x is displacement from equillibrium.
W = 1/2kx2 W is work done.
rearranging F = k*x and using the information in the question we can solve for the spring constant: k = -600N/0.01m = 60000N/m. Remember to convert cm to m.
To find the work done we substitue the spring constant and the displacement distance of 10cm in to the equation for work done remembering to convert to SI units. W = 1/2*(60000N/m)(-0.01m)2 = 3J.
So the spring constant k is equal to 60000N/m and the work done is 3J
TC
Related Physics A Level answers
All answers ▸Calculate the frequency of a simple pendulum of length 950 mm. Give answer to an appropriate number of significant figures.
What is the change in temperature of 2kg of water heated by a kettle using a voltage of 230V at 0.5A of current for 10 seconds? Assume no heat losses.
Why do all objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum, independent of mass?
A bullet is fired horizontally from a gun at a height of 1.5m at 280m/s. Calculate the time taken for it to hit the ground. A second bullet is fired from an adjacent gun at 370m/s. Calculate the distance it travel before the first bullet hits the ground.