A spring has a length of 22 cm when a 2 N weight hangs from it - Leaving Cert Physics - Question c - 2020
Question c
A spring has a length of 22 cm when a 2 N weight hangs from it. The spring constant is 50 N m⁻¹. Calculate the natural length of the spring.
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A spring has a length of 22 cm when a 2 N weight hangs from it - Leaving Cert Physics - Question c - 2020
Step 1
Calculate the extension of the spring
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Answer
Given that the spring has a length of 22 cm when a 2 N weight is applied, we can first find the extension of the spring. The extension (
s ext) can be calculated using the formula:
F=kimess
Here,
F=2extN
k=50extNm−1
Rearranging the equation to solve for s gives us:
s=kF=502=0.04extm=4extcm
Step 2
Calculate the natural length of the spring
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Answer
The natural length of the spring can be calculated by subtracting the extension from the length when the weight is applied. Therefore:
The total length with the weight is 22 cm.
The extension is 4 cm.
Thus, the natural length (L_{natural}) is:
Lnatural=Lcurrent−s=22extcm−4extcm=18extcm
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