Answer:
Approximately (assuming that
.)
Explanation:
Let denote the force that this spring exerts on the object. Let
denote the displacement of this spring from the equilibrium position.
By Hooke's Law, the spring constant of this spring would ensure that
.
Note that the mass of the object attached to this spring is . Thus, the weight of this object would be
.
Assuming that this object is not moving, the spring would need to exert an upward force of the same magnitude on the object. Thus, .
The spring in this question was stretched downward from its equilibrium by:
.
(Note that is negative since this displacement points downwards.)
Rearrange Hooke's Law to find in terms of
and
:
.