A spring with a constant of 6 (kg)/s^2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 3 kg and speed of 7 m/s collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
May 9, 2017

The compression is =4.95m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=6kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

KE=1/2*3*(7)^2=73.5J

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

PE=73.5J

So,

1/2kx^2=73.5

x^2=73.5*2/(6)=24.5m^2

x=sqrt(24.5)=4.95m