Question

A spring with a constant of `5 (kg)/s^2` is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of `6 kg` and speed of `6 m/s` collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

Answer 1

6.57 meters

Explanation:

Let's assume,after the collision the spring gets compressed by x meters,
So using law of conservation of energy,we can say that the kinetic energy of the object will get stored as elastic potential energy of the spring.
i.e `(1/2)mv^2`=`(1/2)kx^2`
Where, k is the spring constant,m is the mass of the object and v is its velocity with which it hit the spring.
Solving the equation we get,
x=6.57 meters