All Flashcards
What is the effect of stretching a spring?
The spring exerts a restoring force inwards, pulling back towards its equilibrium position.
What is the effect of compressing a spring?
The spring exerts a restoring force outwards, pushing back towards its equilibrium position.
What happens to the equivalent spring constant when more springs are added in parallel?
The equivalent spring constant increases, making the system stiffer.
What happens to the equivalent spring constant when more springs are added in series?
The equivalent spring constant decreases, making the system more compliant.
What is the effect of the negative sign in Hooke's Law?
The spring force always opposes the displacement.
What is the difference between displacement and length in spring problems?
Displacement (Δx) is the change in length from the equilibrium position, while length is the total length of the spring.
Compare a spring with a high spring constant to one with a low spring constant.
High k: Stiffer, requires more force for the same displacement. | Low k: Less stiff, requires less force for the same displacement.
Compare stretching a spring vs. compressing a spring.
Stretching: Positive Δx, spring pulls back. | Compressing: Negative Δx, spring pushes back.
Compare the spring force at maximum displacement vs. at equilibrium.
Maximum displacement: Spring force is maximum. | Equilibrium: Spring force is zero.
Compare the energy stored in a stretched spring vs. a compressed spring (same |Δx|).
Stretched: Stores potential energy. | Compressed: Stores potential energy. Both store the same amount of potential energy if |Δx| is the same.
What is a restoring force?
A force that acts to bring an object back to its equilibrium position.
Define the spring constant (k).
A measure of a spring's stiffness; higher k means a stiffer spring. Measured in N/m.
What is the equilibrium position of a spring?
The spring's natural resting position when no external forces are acting on it; net force is zero.
Define Δx in the context of spring forces.
Δx is the change in the spring's length from its relaxed (equilibrium) length, measured in meters.
What is Hooke's Law?
The relationship between the force exerted by an ideal spring and its change in length: F = -kΔx.