Bathroom scale compression problem

[shrtweez13]

if you stand on a bathroom scale, the spring inside the scale compresses .50 mm, and it tells you your weight is 700 N. Now if you jump on the scale from a height of 1.4 m, what does the scale read at this peak.


i found an equation to use, i just can't figure out what I'm solving for. I'm using
mgh = 1/2kx^2

i have m (71.4) g (9.8) and h (1.4). what i don't know is k and x. can anyone help please?

 

[Doc Al]

i found an equation to use, i just can't figure out what I'm solving for. I'm using
mgh = 1/2kx^2

This is a statement of conservation of mechanical energy: the initial gravitational PE is transformed into spring PE.

k is the spring constant, x is the displacement of the spring from its uncompressed position. You can figure out the spring constant from Hooke's law (using the data supplied in the problem set up): F = -kx.

 

[prasanna]

Yeah k can be determined from the given data.

One more thing!

When you jump from a ht. of 1.4 m, the gravitational PE lost by you is definitely stored as PE in spring. But You are not actually falling 1.4 m but you are falling 1.4 m PLUS the distance contracted bythe spring.

In this case, it wouldn't make much of a difference(why?)
Anyway, you should know the concept!