A certain spring compressed 0.20 m has 10 J of elastic potential energy. The spring is then cut into two halves and one of the halves is compressed by 0.20 m. How much potential energy is stored in the compressed half of the spring?
A)5 J
B)10 J
C)14 J
D)20 J
E)40 J

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a spring is cut in half, its spring constant doubles. Therefore, compressing half of the spring by the same distance (0.20 m) results in four times the original potential energy, which is 4 * 5 J = 20 J.

A Certain Spring Compressed 0