Question

A scientist suspends a spring from a force sensor. She then pulls on the spring causing the spring to stretch 1.0 cm. She records the amount of force applied to the spring. She then stretches the spring 2.0 cm and measures the new force. She repeats the process several times, each time increasing the length the spring is stretched.

Answer 1

This situation describes the Hooke's Law which states that "When an elastic object - such as a spring - is stretched, the increased length is called its extension. The extension of an elastic object is directly proportional to the force applied to it". The formula is F = k × e , F for the force, k for spring constant expressed in N/m, e for extension in m. This equation works for as long the spring is not stretch too much because once it exceeded its limit, the spring will not return to its original length the moment the load is removed.