Hooke's Law

Syllabus tag: KCSE | Physics | Form 2 | Topic 17 Hooke's Law

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• State Hooke's law and define the spring constant.
• Draw and interpret a load-extension graph.
• Explain elastic limit, proportionality limit and permanent deformation.
• Solve problems on springs in series and parallel, and on elastic potential energy.

Summary

Hooke's law states that the extension of a spring is directly proportional to the stretching force, provided the elastic limit is not exceeded. The constant of proportionality is the spring constant k, so F = ke. Beyond the elastic limit a spring is permanently deformed and no longer returns to its original length.