A square plate weighing 400 g lies horizontally, resting at its corners on four identical springs standing on the table.

A square plate weighing 400 g lies horizontally, resting at its corners on four identical springs standing on the table. The stiffness of each spring is 100 N / m. How Compressed Is Each Spring?

Given:

m = 400 grams = 0.4 kilograms – the mass of a square plate;

n = 4 is the number of springs on which the plate rests;

g = 10 N / kg – acceleration of gravity;

k = 100 N / m is the stiffness of each spring on which the plastic rests.

It is required to determine dx (meter) – how much each spring is compressed.

The square plastic has the following weight:

P = m * g = 0.4 * 10 = 4 Newtons.

Then, on each spring, the plate presses with force:

F = P / n = 4/4 = 1 Newton.

The amount of compression of the spring is:

dx = F / k = 1/100 = 0.01 meter = 1 centimeter.

Answer: each spring is compressed 1 centimeter.