A spring with a constant of 8 (kg)/s^2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 2 kg and speed of 3 m/s collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
May 4, 2017

The compression is =1.5m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=8kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

KE=1/2*2*(3)^2=9J

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

PE=9J

So,

1/2kx^2=9

x^2=9*2/(8)=2.25m^2

x=sqrt(2.25)=1.5m