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 4kg and speed of 2ms collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
Aug 23, 2017

The compression is =1.15m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=4kgs2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=12mu2

The mass is m=4kg

The speed is u=2ms1

KE=124(2)2=8J

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

PE=8J

The spring constant is =7kgs2

So,

12kx2=8

x2=827=2.29m2

x=2.29=1.51m