Figure 6 shows part of the inside of a pen - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 4 - 2023 - Paper 2

To find the force required to compress the spring, we can use Hooke's Law, which states:

$F = k imes x$

where:

• $F$ is the force (in Newtons)
• $k$ is the spring constant (260 N/m)
• $x$ is the compression in meters.

Since the figure shows a compression of 6.2 mm, we first convert this value to meters:
$x = 6.2 ext{ mm} = 0.0062 ext{ m}$

Now, substituting the values into the formula:
$F = 260 ext{ N/m} imes 0.0062 ext{ m}$ $F = 1.612 ext{ N}$

Finally, rounding this answer to two significant figures:
$F = 1.6 ext{ N}$