A 16 kg block moving on a frictionless horizontal surface with a velocity of 4 m/s compresses an ideal spring and comes to rest. If the force constant of the spring be 100 N m–1, then how much is the spring compressed?

Question

Shiksha Nation · Accepted Answer

Here, m = 16 kg, v = 4 m/s, and k = 100 N/m.

Let the spring be compressed through a distance x.

As potential energy of the spring = kinetic energy of the block,
1/2 kx² = 1/2 mv²

∴ x = √(m/k) × v

= √(16/100) × 4

= (4 × 4) / 10 = 1.6 m

A 16 kg block moving on a frictionless horizontal surface with a velocity of 4 m/s compresses an ideal spring and comes to rest. If the force constant of the spring be 100 N m^–1, then how much is the spring compressed?

Verified Answer