A spring with a constant of 7 (kg)/s^2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 8 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
May 8, 2017

The compression is =4.28m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=7kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

KE=1/2*8*(4)^2=64J

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

PE=64J

So,

1/2kx^2=64

x^2=64*2/(7)=18.29m^2

x=sqrt(18.29)=4.28m