A mass m is attached to a spring of spring constant k. If the mass is displaced
Practice Questions
Q1
A mass m is attached to a spring of spring constant k. If the mass is displaced by a distance x from its equilibrium position, what is the restoring force acting on the mass?
kx
-kx
mg
-mg
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A mass m is attached to a spring of spring constant k. If the mass is displaced by a distance x from its equilibrium position, what is the restoring force acting on the mass?
Step 1: Understand that a mass m is attached to a spring.
Step 2: Know that the spring has a spring constant k, which measures how stiff the spring is.
Step 3: Recognize that when the mass is displaced by a distance x from its resting position, the spring will try to pull it back.
Step 4: Remember Hooke's law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is proportional to the distance it is stretched or compressed.
Step 5: The formula for Hooke's law is F = -kx, where F is the restoring force, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement.
Step 6: The negative sign indicates that the force acts in the opposite direction of the displacement.
Hooke's Law – The principle that the restoring force of a spring is proportional to the displacement from its equilibrium position and acts in the opposite direction.
Simple Harmonic Motion – The motion of an object where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement and acts towards the equilibrium position.
