A spring with a constant of 9 (kg)/s^2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 1 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
Jun 1, 2017

The compression is =1m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=9kgs^-2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=1/2m u^2

KE=1/2*1*(3)^2=4.5J

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

PE=4.5J

So,

1/2kx^2=4.5

x^2=2*(4.5)/(9)=1m^2

x=sqrt(1)=1m