Spring Force Resultant help please

hi gogogsr!

i don't understand your question

the diagram on the left clearly shows the applied force as being in the -y direction

(and btw, if there isn't another surface on the left (or some unshown x direction force), how does the slider stay in contact with the surface on the right?)

 

Is this a continuation of this thread?

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=621559

To keep it simple the spring force pushes the ball against the detent with force F given by the spring constant times the extension.

This spring force is equal to the normal contact force so the force perpendicular to this is your 'wanted force'. This in turn is the friction force which is the normal force times the coefficient of friction.

 

hi gogogsr!

i'm sorry, but this is nonsense, if you think like this it'll only confuse you

there are only two ways you can find the spring force …

i] from the spring displacement, using hooke's law (though you may not know the displacement, or the spring constant accurately enough for that)

ii] by choosing the whole or part of the system, drawing a free body diagram for it, and summing all the forces

(i still don't understand exactly what you're trying to investigate, but if it's the difference in spring force between the two extreme positions, then that will be simply the depth of the recess times the spring constant)