Hooke’s Law explains how a spring stretches or compresses when you apply a force. It says:
The more force you apply to a spring, the more it stretches—but only up to a limit.
Formula for Hooke’s Law:
F=k x
Where:
F (Force, in Newtons) → The force applied to the spring.
k (Spring constant, in N/m) → A measure of how stiff the spring is. Higher k means a tougher spring.
x (Extension, in meters) → How much the spring stretches or compresses.
Rearranging the Formula:
You wrote k=F/x, which is just another way to write Hooke’s Law when solving for k.
This means:
Spring constant=Force applied Stretch or compression\text{Spring constant} = \frac{\text{Force applied}}{\text{Stretch or compression}}Spring constant=Stretch or compression Force applied
Example:
If you apply 10 Newtons of force to a spring and it stretches 0.2 meters, the spring constant is:
50N/m
This tells us the spring is pretty stiff!
Key Things to Remember:
Hooke’s Law works only within the elastic limit—if you stretch too much, the spring won’t return to its original shape.
Higher k means a stiffer spring (harder to stretch).
If no force is applied, the spring stays at its normal length.
How does Hooke's Law relate to the concepts of elastic and plastic deformation?
What are the units of force, spring constant, and displacement in Hooke's Law?
What are some real-life applications of Hooke's Law in engineering and mechanics?
How can you experimentally verify Hooke's Law using a spring and weights?
What are the limitations of Hooke's Law when applied to materials?
How does Hooke's Law apply in systems with multiple springs connected in series or parallel?
What is the relationship between potential energy and Hooke's Law for elastic materials?
keywords
Displacement (x)
Stress and strain
Elastic deformation
Plastic deformation
Linear relationship
Elastic limit
Compression
Extension
Potential energy
Spring-mass system
Simple harmonic motion