Spring Forces

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Section 3.14 Spring Forces

Exercises Exploring Spring Forces

1.

Play with this spring simulation: https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/masses-and-springs-basics/latest/masses-and-springs-basics_en.html. Play around with it for at least a few minutes.

2.

With the simulation from the previous question, investigate how the spring force appears to be related to the displacement of the spring.

Definition 3.14.1. Hooke’s Law.

An ideal spring¹ obeys Hooke’s Law, with a force that is linearly proportional to the displacement from equilibrium:

\begin{equation*} \vec{F}^{S} = -k(\vec{x} - \vec{x}_{eq}) \end{equation*}

Exercises Activities: Practice with Spring Forces

1.

Explain how the expression in Hooke’s Law is consistent with your observations from the simulation (cite a specific observation!).

2.

Determine the units of the spring constant \(k\text{.}\) Why do you think these are appropriate units for this quantity?

N/m

a spring that is massless and does not deform when displaced from equilibrium

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