Calculating Spring Constant and Energy: A Practical Guide

AI Thread Summary
A 0.20-kg mass attached to a spring experiences a change in potential energy from 120 J to 80 J as it moves. The kinetic energy of the system after release can be determined by the conservation of energy principle, which states that the total energy remains constant in a conservative system. The change in potential energy, which is 40 J, is converted into kinetic energy. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the mass after moving is 40 J. Understanding these energy transformations is crucial for calculating the spring constant and potential energy without needing the spring's distance.
laxboi33
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A .20- kg mass attached to a spring is pulled back horizontally across a table so that the potential energy of the system is increased from zero to 120 J. Ignoring friction, what is the kinetic energy of the system after the mass is released and has moved to a point where the potential energy has decreased to 80 J.



PE= 1/2 k*x^2
KE= 1/2 m*v^2
F= -kx


How would I find the spring constant or PE without the distance of the spring?
 
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What is the change in potential energy converted into?
 
Consider the following:
All the forces in the system are conservative.

What fundamental quantity is conserved?
 
laxboi33 said:
How would I find the spring constant or PE without the distance of the spring?

You are told what the potential energy is at each point, so you don't need to know how it was calculated. Just write down the total energy at each point in the most general terms possible, and go from there.
 
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