A spring with a constant of 4kgs2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 7kg and speed of 5ms collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
Jul 15, 2017

The spring will compress by =6.61m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=4kgs2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=12mu2

The mass is m=7kg

The speed is u=5ms1

KE=127(5)2=1452J

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

PE=1752J

So,

12kx2=1752

x2=1754=43.75m2

x=43.75=6.61m