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

1 Answer
Jul 11, 2017

The spring will compress by =5.9m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=7kgs2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=12mu2

The mass is m=5kg

The speed is u=7ms1

KE=125(7)2=122.5J

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

PE=122.5J

So,

12kx2=122.5

x2=2122.57=35m2

x=35=5.9m