A spring with a constant of 1 (kg)/s^2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 2/3 kg and speed of 1/4 m/s collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
Aug 31, 2017

THe compression is =0.289m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=1kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

The mass is m=4kg

The speed is u=1/4ms^-1

KE=1/2*2/3*(1/4)^2=1/48J

This kinetic energy will be stored in the spring as potential energy.

PE=8J

The spring constant is =1kgs^-2

So,

1/2kx^2=1/48

x^2=(2)/(28)=0.0833m^2

x=sqrt(0.0833)=0.289m