High School

A spring with a spring constant of 150 N/m and an unstretched length of 0.4 m has one end anchored to a wall, and a force [tex]F[/tex] is applied to the other end. If the force [tex]F[/tex] does 220 J of work in stretching out the spring:

1. What is its final length?
2. What is the magnitude of [tex]F[/tex] at maximum elongation?

Answer :

To solve this problem, we need to first understand the physics of a spring and how work is related to its stretching.

A spring follows Hooke's Law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is proportional to its displacement from the equilibrium position, or:

[tex]F = kx[/tex]

where:

  • [tex]F[/tex] is the force exerted by the spring in Newtons (N),
  • [tex]k[/tex] is the spring constant, and
  • [tex]x[/tex] is the displacement from the unstretched position in meters (m).

The work done on a spring when it's stretched or compressed is given by:

[tex]W = \frac{1}{2} k x^2[/tex]

where:

  • [tex]W[/tex] is the work done (in Joules),
  • [tex]k[/tex] is the spring constant (in N/m),
  • [tex]x[/tex] is the displacement (in m).

Part 1: Finding Final Length of the Spring

Given:

  • The spring constant [tex]k = 150 \, \text{N/m}[/tex].
  • The work done [tex]W = 220 \, \text{J}[/tex].

Plug these values into the work equation to find the displacement [tex]x[/tex]:

[tex]220 = \frac{1}{2} \times 150 \times x^2[/tex]

Simplifying gives:

[tex]220 = 75x^2[/tex]
[tex]x^2 = \frac{220}{75}[/tex]
[tex]x^2 \approx 2.933[/tex]
[tex]x \approx \sqrt{2.933}[/tex]
[tex]x \approx 1.712 \, \text{m}[/tex]

The original length of the spring is 0.4 m. Therefore, the final length when stretched will be:

[tex]\text{Final length} = 0.4 \text{ m} + 1.712 \text{ m} = 2.112 \text{ m}[/tex]

Part 2: Finding the Magnitude of Force at Maximum Elongation

To find the force at maximum elongation, use Hooke's Law [tex]F = kx[/tex]:

[tex]F = 150 \times 1.712[/tex]
[tex]F \approx 256.8 \, \text{N}[/tex]

So, at maximum elongation, the force [tex]F[/tex] is approximately 256.8 N.

In summary, the final length of the spring when stretched is approximately 2.112 m, and the magnitude of the force at maximum elongation is approximately 256.8 N.

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