The energy of a spring compressed by 2 cm is 5 mJ. What is the stiffness of the spring?

Given:

E = 5 mJ = 0.005 Joules – potential energy of a compressed spring;

dx = 2 centimeters = 0.02 meters – the amount of compression of the spring.

It is required to determine k (Newton / meter) – coefficient of spring stiffness.

To determine the coefficient of spring stiffness, you must use the following formula:

E = k * dx2 / 2, hence:

k = 2 * E / dx ^ 2 = 2 * 0.005 / 0.02 ^ 2 = 0.01 / 0.0004 = 25 Newtons / meter.

Answer: the coefficient of stiffness of the spring is 25 Newton / meter