Question

1. Your new designer chair has an S-shaped tubular metal frame that behaves just like a spring. When your friend, who weighs 600 N, sits on the chair, it bends downward 4 cm. What is the spring constant for this chair?

Answer 1

Explanation:

Given that,

Weight of the friend, W = 600 N

When the friend sits on the metal frame it bends downward 4 cm, we can say that the compression in the it is 4 cm or 0.04 m

To find,

Spring constant for this chair or k

Solve :

The weight of an object is equal to the force exerted by the gravitational force, F = 600 N

According to Hooke's law, the force exerted by the spring is given by :

F = kx

k is the spring constant

$k=\dfrac{F}{x}$

$k=\dfrac{600\ N}{0.04\ m}$

k = 15000 N/m

Therefore, the spring constant of the spring is 15000 N/m.