Question

A spring with spring constant 175 N/m has 20 J of EPE stored in it. How much is it compressed?

Answer 1

Given:

• Spring constant = 175 N/m

,

• Energy = 20 J

Let's find by how much it is compressed.

Apply the formula:

$E=\frac{1}{2}kx^2$

Where:

E is the energy = 20 J

k is the sring constant = 175 N/m

x is the compression in meters

Rewrite the formula for x:

$x=\sqrt{\frac{2E}{k}}$

Input values and solve for x:

$\begin{gathered} x=\sqrt[]{\frac{2\times20}{175}} \\ \\ x=\sqrt[]{\frac{40}{175}} \\ \\ x=\sqrt[]{0.2285} \\ \\ x=0.48\text{ m} \end{gathered}$

ANSWER:

0.48 m