A spring with a constant of 12 (kg)/s^2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 6 kg and speed of 4 m/s collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
Apr 8, 2017

The spring will compress by =2.83m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=12kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

KE=1/2*6*4^2=48J

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

PE=48J

So,

1/2kx^2=48

x^2=96/k=96/12=8

x=sqrt8=2.83m