Why is the spring constant changed

AI Thread Summary
When the length of a spring is halved, the spring constant can change depending on the type of spring. For Hookean springs, the spring constant remains the same, as they follow Hooke's Law, which states that the force is proportional to the elongation. However, in real materials, the reduction in the number of coils can lead to an increase in the spring constant, effectively doubling it. This is due to the fact that the same force acting on fewer coils results in less elongation. Understanding the behavior of springs under different conditions is crucial for accurate applications in physics and engineering.
Pranav Jha
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what happens to the spring constant of a spring when it's length is halved? i think it has to change (guessing it is halved) but i don't know the physical reason which explains the change.

So, does the spring constant change or not when the length of the spring is changed (to be specific, when it is halved)? Please give a physically sound reason.
 
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or is the spring constant doubled?
 
The answer is it depends. In a real material yes, in a hookian spring the answer is no.
 
nnnm4 said:
The answer is it depends. In a real material yes, in a hookian spring the answer is no.

Isn't hookian spring a real material?
i just ran an internet search and the answers refer to the reduction in number of coils and thereby the same force when acting on half the number of coils increases the length by only half as much. Thus, the spring constant is doubled.
I think that makes sense and refers to springs following hooks law.
So, i couldn't get what you meant by differentiating between real material and hookian spring
 
Pranav Jha said:
what happens to the spring constant of a spring when it's length is halved? i think it has to change (guessing it is halved) but i don't know the physical reason which explains the change.
What's the definition of spring constant? How will the force required to get a certain elongation change when the spring is cut in half?

Another way to look at it: Imagine a spring of length L. If you stretch it by an amount ΔL, how much is each half of the spring being stretched?

Yet another way of looking at it: Imagine you hooked two spring together. For the same force, would the total elongation change? Would it be harder or easier to stretch the double spring?
 

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