A spring attached to the ceiling is stretched one foot by a four pound weight. The value of the Hooke's Law spring constant, $k$ , is
A) 4 pounds per foot
B) 1/4 pound per foot
C) 1/4 foot-pound
D) 4 foot-pounds
E) none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hooke's Law states that the force $F$ needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance $x$ is proportional to that distance. That is, $F = kx$, where $k$ is the spring constant. Given that a four-pound weight stretches the spring one foot, we have $4 = k(1)$, solving for $k$ gives $k = 4$ pounds per foot.

A Spring Attached to the Ceiling Is Stretched One Foot kkk

A Spring Attached to the Ceiling Is Stretched One Foot $k$