PhysicsLAB: Basic Practice with Springs

1. A vertical helical spring 20 cm long extends to a length of 25 cm when it supports a load of 50 N. Determine its spring constant.

2. A vertical helical spring is 50 cm long when a load of 80 N is hung from it and 52 cm when the load is changed to 82 N. Find its spring constant.

3a. Two identical helical springs are attached to one another, end-to-end, making one long vertical spring. If k = 250 N/m is the elasticity constant for each spring separately, what is the constant for this combination?

3b. How large a load, in newtons, is required to stretch the system 10 cm?

4. Two identical helical springs are attached side-by-side, making a parallel vertical combination. If k = 250 N/m is the elasticity constant for each spring separately, how large a load, in kilograms, will extend the system 10 cm?

5. A certain spring that obeys Hooke's Law stretches 30 cm when a load of 0.35 N is added to it. How much energy is stored in the spring when it is compressed 5.0 cm?

Refer to the following information for the next two questions.

A 400-g mass is attached to the end of a spring (k = 80 N/m). The spring is then stretched (along a horizontal surface) 3.5 cm from its equilibrium position and released.

6a. Find the speed of the mass as it passes through the equilibrium position.

6b. Find the mass' acceleration just as it was released.

Refer to the following information for the next two questions.

A spring system consists of a stationary spring and a 60-gram mass attached to one end that slides along a horizontal, frictionless surface. When a horizontal force of 0.80 N is applied to the mass, it stretches the spring 4.0 cm.

7a. What is the acceleration of the mass when the system is initially released?

7b. What is the speed of the mass as it passes through its equilibrium position?

Refer to the following information for the next four questions.

A spring system consists of a stationary spring and a 100-gram mass attached to one end that slides along a horizontal, frictionless surface. When a horizontal force of 8.0 N applied to the mass, it stretches the spring 10.0 cm.

8a. How much total energy is initially stored in the spring?

8b. What is the speed of the mass as it passes through a point 5.0 cm from its equilibrium position?

8c. What is its speed at the exact instant when it passes through its equilibrium position?

8d. Why aren't these speeds in a ratio of 1:2?