A steel spring can be safely stretched up to beyond its natural length without…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A steel spring can be safely stretched up to 4cm beyond its natural length without permanent deformation. The spring constant is 150Nm−1.
(i) Calculate the maximum force that can be applied to the spring without exceeding the safe limit.
(ii) Find the maximum potential energy that can be stored in the spring within this limit.
(iii) A student wishes to store at least 1.5J of energy in this spring. Determine, with calculations, whether this is possible without damaging the spring.