Displacement and the Spring Force (Fs) - Hooke's Law

Front

What is Hooke's Law?

Back

Hooke's Law states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the displacement from its equilibrium position, expressed as F = -kx, where F is the force, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement.

Front

What does the spring constant (k) represent?

Back

The spring constant (k) represents the stiffness of a spring; a higher value indicates a stiffer spring that requires more force to stretch or compress.

Front

What is the unit of the spring constant?

Back

The unit of the spring constant is Newton per meter (N/m).

Front

If a spring is compressed by 5m and has a spring constant of 200 N/m, what is the force exerted by the spring?

Back

F = -kx = -200 N/m * 5m = -1000 N (the negative sign indicates the force acts in the opposite direction of displacement).

Front

What happens to the force exerted by a spring if the displacement is doubled?

Back

If the displacement is doubled, the force exerted by the spring also doubles, according to Hooke's Law.

Front

What is the relationship between spring constant and material stiffness?

Back

A stiffer material has a higher spring constant, meaning it resists deformation more than a less stiff material.

Front

Who discovered Hooke's Law?

Back

Hooke's Law was discovered by Robert Hooke.

Front

What is the extension of a spring if its original length is 20m and its extended length is 30m?

Back

The extension of the spring is 10m (30m - 20m).

Front

What is the significance of the negative sign in Hooke's Law?

Back

The negative sign in Hooke's Law indicates that the force exerted by the spring acts in the opposite direction to the displacement.

Front

How does the spring force behave when a spring is stretched beyond its elastic limit?

Back

When a spring is stretched beyond its elastic limit, it may not return to its original shape, and Hooke's Law no longer applies.