How to Calculate Energy and Forces on a Spring Using Hooke's Law

spring potential energy force hooke's law

Credit: Creative Commons Photo

By Andrew Bennett

How Do We Use Springs in Physics?

One of the common objects we examine in physics is a spring. One of the interesting properties of a spring is the resting length, also called the equilibrium length. When you stretch or compress the spring from the resting length, it stores energy and exerts a force.

What Is Hooke's Law?

The amount of force that a spring pushes or pulls with depends on how far you stretch or compress the spring. The more you stretch or compress the spring, the more force it exerts. In fact, there is a linear relationship between the stretch or compression length and the force exerted by the spring. This relationship is described by Hooke's Law. The law is commonly rewritten as:

spring potential energy force hooke's law equation

The coefficient that relates the stretch or compression length (x) to the force (F) on the spring is called the spring constant (or sometimes the force constant). It is written as k.

How Do We Calculate Spring Potential Energy?

Springs always try to return to their relaxed length by pushing or pulling. Spring potential energy is the energy stored in a compressed or stretched spring.

On the atomic scale, this energy is associated with pushing the spring's atoms closer together or pulling them farther apart. This is a special case of "electric potential energy," which deals with the positions of charged particles. Rather than calculating the energy of each individual proton and electron in the spring, we have a much faster formula to find the spring potential energy:

Hooke's Law Problems and Solutions

Now that you understand a bit about the physics of springs, check out this video for some spring force and potential energy problems and solutions.

Subscribe for Even More Physics Videos

Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more physics video lessons, including practice problems and demos.

Comments

Why Do They Do That? The Physics Behind 3 Famous Animal Behaviors

By Amber Bennett Have you ever wondered about the origins of the phrase, "get your ducks in a row"? What about how the "doggy paddle" works or why squirrels are such amazing jumpers? The answers to all of these questions have one thing in common: physics. Keep reading to learn about the science behind these three famous animal behaviors. How Do Squirrels Leap from Branch to Branch? A squirrel leaps through the air. Photo Credit: caroline legg , CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The death-defying acrobatic maneuvers performed by squirrels look a lot like parkour tricks. But how do they know how to land tricky jumps between bendy tree branches that move with the wind? Researchers say it's a combination of learned behavior (practice makes perfect) and inherited adaptations. To see what determines how far a squirrel is willing to jump and how the leaps are timed, researchers set up an obstacle course in an artificial forest. Then, they used peanuts ...

3 Easy Science Experiments to Do with Your Kids

By Amber Bennett Strong STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills set kids up to succeed both in school and later in life. Encouraging them to be interested in these subjects is easier than you might think, especially if you start when they're young. Activities that encourage children to be curious and creative will spark a love of learning. Plus, science experiments and other hands-on STEM projects are a fun way to bond with your kids. Here are three easy science experiments that preschoolers and early elementary students will enjoy. 1. Leakproof Plastic Bag A (age 5) doing the leakproof plastic bag experiment. Our preschooler loves to do any experiment that involves water. I can give her a couple of beakers, and she'll happily pour water back and forth between them, especially if I put a few drops of food coloring in each beaker so she can mix the colors. Another great activity that involves water is the leakproof plastic bag. All you need are: Large p...

How Virtual Currency Mining Is Hurting the Environment - Science in the News

Datacenters used for cryptocurrency mining use a lot of energy. By Amber Bennett Although cryptocurrencies are virtual, they are having a tangible impact on our environment. Research shows that cryptocurrencies actually are worse for the earth than other types of money. So, why is that? Simply put, it's because of the resources needed to run the supercomputers that mine Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Energy Use The datacenters used for mining use large amounts of electricity. For example, the global Bitcoin network uses more energy than entire countries . In fact, according to the University of Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index , the network's power demand is the same as more than 14 million typical American homes. Most of the energy used in the datacenters comes from fossil fuels instead of renewable resources. Plus, datacenters' high energy use can destabilize the electric grid. Materials Mining Another way that cryptocurrency impacts the environme...

Bennett Science Blog

Search This Blog