IB Physics SL A.2.9 Hooke's Law Restoring Force

Practise applying F = -kx to spring extension or compression, interpreting the negative sign as a restoring direction and linking maximum displacement to maximum force in…

Exam points

calculate spring force from extension relative to natural length and include the restoring direction
link maximum displacement in simple harmonic motion to maximum acceleration and force

[Maximum number: 1]

A spring of negligible mass and length $l_{0}$ hangs from a fixed point. When a mass m is attached to the free end of the spring, the length of the spring increases to l. The tension in the spring is equal to $k \Delta x$ , where k is a constant and $\Delta x$ is the extension of the spring. What is k ?

$\frac{m g}{l_{0}}$

$\frac{m g}{l}$

$\frac{m g}{l-l_{0}}$

$\frac{m g}{l_{0}-l}$

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A.2.9—Hooke’s law restoring force question 1