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 7 kg and speed of 4 m/s collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
Oct 4, 2017

The compression is =4.32m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=6kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

The mass is m=7kg

The speed is u=4ms^-1

KE=1/2*7*(4)^2=56J

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

PE=56J

The spring constant is =6kgs^-2

So,

1/2kx^2=56

x^2=2*56/6=18.67m^2

x=sqrt(18.67)=4.32m