Spring Constant
Definition
The spring constant represents how stiff or flexible a spring is. It determines how much force will be required to stretch or compress a spring by a certain distance.
Analogy
Imagine stretching out different rubber bands - one thin and one thick. The thicker rubber band would have a higher spring constant because it requires more force to stretch it compared to the thinner one.
Related terms
Hooke's Law: Hooke's Law states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position.
Elastic Potential Energy: Elastic potential energy is the energy stored in an object when it is stretched or compressed, such as a spring.
Equilibrium Position: The equilibrium position of a spring is where there is no net force acting on it and it remains at rest.
"Spring Constant" appears in:
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Additional resources (4)
Practice Questions (4)
- If a spring has a spring constant of 5N/m and is compressed 50cm from its equilibrium position, what is its elastic potential energy?
- A 2.5kg block moving at 5.6 m/s hits a spring with a spring constant of 50N/m. How much is the spring compressed from its equilibrium position?
- If the kinetic energy of a spring at its equilibrium position preparing to move to its negative amplitude is 20J, what is its displacement as it moves to its negative amplitude position given a spring constant of 100N/m. Assume surface is frictionless.
- If the spring constant/stiffness (k) of a mass-spring oscillator is quadrupled, its period will...
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