All Flashcards
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.
Define Hooke's Law.
The force a spring exerts is directly proportional to its displacement from equilibrium:
What is the spring constant ()?
A measure of a spring's stiffness; the higher the value, the stiffer the spring.
Define 'equilibrium position' in the context of a spring.
The position where the spring is neither stretched nor compressed, and the net force on it is zero.
What is an ideal spring?
A spring with negligible mass that exerts a force perfectly proportional to its displacement from equilibrium.
Define equivalent spring constant.
A single spring constant that represents the combined effect of multiple springs in a system.
What is a restoring force?
A force that acts to bring a system back to its equilibrium position.