A mass of 0.5 kg moving with a speed of 1.5 m/s on horizontal smooth surface, collides with a nearly weightless spring of force constant k = 50 N/m. The maximum compression of the spring would be [figure]
- 0.15 m
- 0.12 m
- 1.5 m
- 0.5 m
Answer
(1) 0.15 m
Solution
At maximum compression the whole kinetic energy is stored in the spring:
12mv2 = 12kx2
x = v mk = 1.5 0.550
= 1.5 0.1 = 0.15 m
Answer: (1)