A spring with a constant of 5kgs2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 5kg and speed of 8ms collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
Oct 16, 2017

The spring will compress by =8m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=5kgs2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=12mu2

The mass is m=5kg

The speed is u=8ms1

KE=125(8)2=160J

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

PE=160J

The spring constant is =5kgs2

So,

12kx2=160

x2=21605=64m2

x=64=8m