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

1 Answer
May 18, 2017

The compression is =1.15m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=3kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

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

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

PE=2J

So,

1/2kx^2=2

x^2=2*2/(3)=1.33m^2

x=sqrt(1.33)=1.15m