Question

A 5000-kg truck drives over a pothole in the road that causes thetruck to push down on all four springs a distance of 4.0 cm. If energy is conserved and the springs obey Hooke’s law, calculate thespring constant for each sprin

Answer 1

Steps to doing a physics question.
1. Draw a diagram.
2. List the variables.
3. Determine the equation(s) involved.

Answer 2

m=5000kg
d= 4.0cm=0.04m
You are looking for k=?
hooke's law is f=-kx.

Answer 3

Is the total energy = gravitational potential energy + elastic potential energy ?

Answer 4

i think so.

Answer 5

you're your own best thinker.

Answer 6

How do you get force?

Answer 7

Force caused by gravity is:
F = m(-g) = -mg = -(5000kg)(9.8N/kg) (negative means downward)
F = -49000 N (negative means downward)

F = k(Δy)

-49000 = k(-4) (Δy is negative because the initial position is at 0 meters and the final position is at -4 metres so Δy = -4 - 0 = -4 metres. Also notice that Δy being negative means that the truck went downward by 4 meters when the pot hole was hit.)

(When people say F = -kx, you treat x as the distance that was moved while ignoring the sign but the way I did it makes you systematically think about it.)

-49000/(-4) = 49000/4 = k = 12250 N/m (This is the spring constant - it means that in order to move the spring by 1 meter from its natural position where it would remain if nothing was forcefully compressing or stretching it, 12250 N of force would be required.)

Answer 8

it's actually 4cm.....

Answer 9

but nice try tho. Your answer is well structured.

Answer 10

Lol, oops. Four meters would be quite a fall. :D