A spring with a constant of 6kgs2 is lying on the ground with one end attached to a wall. An object with a mass of 3kg and speed of 7ms collides with and compresses the spring until it stops moving. How much will the spring compress?

1 Answer
May 9, 2017

The compression is =4.95m

Explanation:

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The spring constant is k=6kgs2

The kinetic energy of the object is

KE=12mu2

KE=123(7)2=73.5J

This kinetic energy will be stored in the spring as potential energy.

PE=73.5J

So,

12kx2=73.5

x2=73.526=24.5m2

x=24.5=4.95m