A spring with a constant of 2 (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 5 m/s collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
Apr 16, 2017

The spring will compress by =8.66m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=2kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

KE=1/2*6*(5)^2=75J

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

PE=75J

So,

1/2kx^2=75

x^2=150/2=75m^2

x=sqrt(75)=8.66m