Question

What is the initial energy?

Answer 1

@Owlcoffee , @dan815

Answer 2

so in this case we are given the
(spring coefficient in N/m) = 580 N/m
and
(distance pushed back in *cm*) = 45 cm
Notice that we are given this distance in cm and not the m required in the equation :)

Answer 3

initial energy can pertain to several things, but the concept remains the same:
it is the energy of a system prior to any addition or subtraction of energy.

Answer 4

Work and energy is a very used concept in physics, used mostly to study the motion, interaction and behavior of a body in a closed system.
Something important to not is the universal law of energy: "Energy is cannot be created nor destroyed, but transformed".
This means that depending on what forces are interacting with an object or a particle we can deduce how the energy of the system or the object is changing, so, there are some important types of energy to note:

Elastic energy: Involving strings and deriving from Hooke's law, the elastic energy is the work that a pring exercises over a body. this can be calculated by:
\[\Delta U_ e = \frac{ k.x^2 }{ 2 }\]
Where "k" is the constant of the spring and "x" the distance of compression.

Answer 5

ITT: things that tkhunny would delete cause they are not math questions

Answer 6

then we can use all the stuff they all put about motion, internal, kinetic, and anything else energy related that you want to figure out - EVERYTHING including love.

Answer 7

The initial energy in a spring is \[U_0 = \frac{ 1 }{ 2 }kx_0^2\] This is the elastic potential energy, this tells you the spring has by virtue being stretched/ compressed.
I recommend you make a diagram for your problem, since that will give you a clearer picture of the problem and also since all physics problems should be done with diagrams!

Answer 8

This seems like a pretty fun problem, so if you get stuck anywhere don't hesitate to ask!

Answer 9

There's no need to have an initial source of energy. Energy is a mathematical quantity that happens to be constant in our every day life, but there is no need to have it constant across all time and space.

In fact, it is extremely difficult to *define* what "energy" means when you are looking at cosmology. When you are describe cars, it turns out that you can write an equation for something that happens to stay constant over time, but for the whole universe, it's hard to find something that means "energy."

Answer 10

U