key term - Hooke's Law

Definition

Hooke's Law states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position. In other words, it describes how a spring stretches or compresses when a force is applied to it.

Related terms

Spring Force: The force exerted by a spring when it is stretched or compressed. It follows Hooke's Law and is directly proportional to the displacement of the spring.

Spring Constant:

A measure of how stiff or flexible a particular spring is. It represents the ratio between the force applied to a spring and its resulting displacement.

Elastic Potential Energy:

The energy stored in an elastic object (such as a stretched or compressed spring) due to its deformation from its equilibrium position. It depends on both the displacement and stiffness of the object.