2.8.A—Describe the force exerted on an object by an ideal spring

Describe the force exerted on an object by an ideal spring.

• An ideal spring has negligible mass and exerts a force that is proportional to the change in its length as measured from its relaxed length. A nonideal spring either has nonnegligible mass or exerts a force that is not proportional to the change in its length as measured from its relaxed length.
• The magnitude of the force exerted by an ideal spring on an object is given by Hooke’s law:
• The force exerted on an object by a spring is always directed toward the equilibrium position of the object–spring system.