Question

You attach a block to the bottom end of a spring hanging vertically. You slowly let the block
move down and find that it hangs at rest with the spring stretched by 15 cm. Next, you lift the
block back up to the initial position and release it from rest with the spring un-stretched. What
maximum distance does it move down?

Answer 1

use the fist part to get a proxy for the spring constant, using F = kx = mg. so you know that here \(k = \frac{mg}{???}\)

then for the second part, once released the block will next stop when the gravitiational potential energy it loses by moving down is converted entirely into spring energy.

so if it drops by A, then you can say \(mgA = \frac{1}{2}kA^2\) and you know k from the first part

Answer 2

hey I'm not hanging vertically am I?

Answer 3

yes