Elastic Force and Energy Stretching or Compressing a spring causes the spring to store more potential energy. The force used to push or pull the spring causes the spring to become shorter or longer.
Answer Me!!! Why does a rubber band fly across the room when stretched out and released?
Hooke’s Law The force (F) you put on a spring equals the spring constant (k) times the distance the spring is stretched (x) from equilibrium. F s = kx The spring constant is a measure of a springs response to stretching or compressing. Spring constant is measured in N/m.
Elastic Potential Energy Elastic Potential Energy (PE s ) is the energy stored in an elastic system (spring) due to a distortion (x). Elastic Potential Energy is measured in Joules The spring constant is a reflection of many characteristics of the spring’s composition.
Practice Problem 1 A 10 N force is required to hold a stretched spring 0.20 m from its rest position. What is the spring constant?
Practice Problem 2 The graph shows elongation as a function of the applied force for two springs, A and B. Compared to the spring constant of A, the spring constant of B is_____________.
Practice Problem 3 A 10 N force is required to hold a stretched spring 0.20 m from its rest position. What is the potential energy stored in the stretched spring?
Practice Problem 4 A spring of negligible mass has a spring constant of 50 N/m. If the spring is stretched 0.40 m from its equilibrium position, how much potential energy is stored in the spring?
Final Thought… A student compresses the spring in a pop-up toy m. If the spring has a spring constant of 340 N/m, how much energy is being stored in the spring?
Answer Me!!! A 0.50 m long spring is stretched to 1.00 m by a weight. If 15 J of energy are stored in the spring, what is the value of the spring constant?
Final Thought… Draw the graph that represents the elastic potential energy stored in a spring (PE s ) as a function of its elongation, x.