HOOKE’S LAW by Jaff Lawrence

By the end of this chapter you should be able to: attatched to two fixed points which are 4m apart. Find
 Use Hooke’s law to solve problems involving the tension in the combined spring.
elastic bodies. Solution
 Calculate elastic energy
 Apply conservation of energy and the work-
energy principle to so problems
Hooke’s law
The tension T in a stretched string or spring is
proportional the extension x.
Let the extension in PQ be x
but
Extension in QR

For PQ:

NB: For a compressed spring T is the thrust (or For QR:

compression) force and
So
Example 1
An elastic string of natural length 2m and modulus of
elasticity 30N has one end fixed. A particle of mass
4kg is attached to the other end and hangs at rest. Find The tension in the combined spring is
the extension of the string. Energy stored in an elastic string or spring
Solution The applied force is equal and opposite to the
At eqm. tension. The area under force-extension graph is
Hooke’s law: the work done in stretching the elastic string

Force T

Example 2
One end of a light elastic spring is attached to a fixed 0 x1 x2 Extension x
point. A force of 4N is applied to the other end of the
Work done
spring so as to stretch it. The natural length of the
spring is 3m and the modulus of elasticity is 6N. Find By formula By integration
the total length of the spring.
Solution
T 4N Where

Example 3
The elastic springs PQ and QR are joined together at When stretched from natural length to the extension x.
Q to form one long spring. The spring PQ has natural
length 1.6m and modulus of elasticity 20N.The spring
QR has natural length 1.4m and modulus of elasticity
28N.The ends, P and Q, of the long spring are
The work done in stretching an elastic string or spring
from its natural length to the extension x is equal to
the elastic potential energy E.P.E. stored in it. i.e.

Example
Example June 88P3No.9 An elastic spring AB of natural length 1.6m, lies
along a line of greatest slope of a smooth plane
Two springs PQ and QR, of natural length 1.2m and
inclined at to the horizontal. The end A is fixed
0.8m respectively are joined at Q to form a single and to the end B is attached a particle of mass 2kg.
straight spring PQR. The combined spring is When the system is in equilibrium the length of the
compressed to a length 1.5m. Given that the moduli spring is 2m. Find
of elasticity of PQ and QR are 10N and 20N a) The modulus of elasticity of the spring.
respectively, find: b) The elastic potential energy stored in the
a) The respective decrease in the lengths of PQ and QR spring.
b) The thrust in the combined spring PQR Solution
c) The total work done in compressing the spring.
Res.
Solution
H.L:
T T
P R
Q

Let the compression in PQ be x

b)
Compression in QR
Thrust in PQ Thrust in QR OR

a) Example
A light elastic string of natural length 1.6m and
Decrease in PQ modulus of elasticiy 10N, has one end fixed at a
point A on a smooth horizontal table. A particle of
Decrease in QR mass 2kg is attached to the other end of the string.
The particle is held at the point A and projected
b) Thrust
horizontally along the table with speed . Find
c) Total work done, how far it travels before first coming to
instantaneous rest.
Solution

Example June 90P3 No.2

An elastic spring AB, which obeys Hooke’s law and
is of length 1m, has the end A attached to a fixed
point. When a load of mass 2kg, attached to the end
B, hangs in equilibrium the length of the spring is Let
1.2m. Find in joules, the work which must be done to C.M.E.:
extend the unloaded spring from a length of 1.5m to
1.75m. [take g as ]
Solution
Distance covered

1m Example
T
A particle of mass 0.5kg is attached to one end of an
0.2m elastic string of natural length 2m and modulus of
elasticicty 20N. The other end of the elastic string is
attached to the point O. If the particle is released from
2g
the point O, find the greatest distance it will reach
below O. C.M.E.:
Solution Loss in E.P.E.=Gain in K.E.+Work done against friction.

C.M.E: P.E. lost=E.P.E gained
Hence distance through which particl falls
Example
A climber is attached to a rope of length 50m, which
is fixed to a cliff face at a point A, 40m below him.
The modulus of elasticity of the rope is 10000N, and
the mass of the climber is 80kg. The ground is 80m
below the point A, to which the rope is fixed. The
climber falls. Will he hit the ground? If yes with what H.L:
speed?
Solution
Let the velocity when he has fallen
120m be v.
C.M.E.:
.
He would hit the ground with a velocity of
Example
An elastic string of length 1.6m and modulus of
elasticity 30N is stretched between two horizontal
points, P and Q, which are a distance 2.4m apart. A
particle of mass m kg is then attached to the
midpoint of the string, and rests in equilibrium, 0.5m
below the line PQ. Find the value of m.
Solution
1.2 1.2
0.5
T T
mg
Example
Two light strings, S1 and S2, are joined together at
one end only. One end of the combined string is
attached to the ceiling at O, and a mass of 3kg is
attached to the other, and allowed to hang freely in
equilibrium. The moduli of S1 and S2 are 75N and
120N, and their natural lengths are 50cm and 40cm.
Find the distance of the 3kg mass below O.
Solution
.

Example
An elastic spring, with natural length 30cm and
modulus of elasticity 42N is lying on a rough
horizontal table, with one end fixed to the table at A.
The spring is held compressed so that the length of
the spring is 24cm. A particle of mass 2kg is placed
on the table at the end of the spring, and the spring is
released. If the frictional force is 5N, find the speed of
the particle when the length of the spring is 28cm. Example
A box of weight 49N is placed on a horizontal table.
Solution It is to be pulled along by a light elastic string with
natural length 15cm and modulus of elasticity 50N.
The coefficient of friction between the box and the
table is 0.4. If the acceleration of the box is
and the string is pulled horizontally, what is the length released from rest. Find the initial acceleration of
of the string?
Solution
Example
Two elastic springs S1 and S2, are joined at each end,
so that they are side by side. The bottom end of the
combined spring is placed on a table, and a weight of
60N is placed on the top. The moduli of S1 and S2, are 5. An elasic string of natural length and modulus
80N and 100N, and their natural lengths are 50cm and
60cm. Find the distance of the 60N weight above the
table.
Solution
The springs will have the
T1 60N T2 same compressed lengths
but their compressions
will be different.
Let
The weight is 37cm above the table.
Exercise
1. A particle P of mass 2kg is attached to the mid-
point of a light elastic string, of natural length
0.4m and modulus of elasticity 20N. The ends of
the elastic string are attached to two fixed points
A and B which are on the same horizontal level,
with . The particle is held below AB
in a position with , and
the particle and state its direction.
2.
An elastic string has natural length 2m and
modulus of elasticity 98N. One end of the string
is attached to a fixed point O and the other end is
attached to a particle P of mass 4kg. The particle
is held in equilibrium by a horizontal force of
magnitude 28N, with OP making an angle with
the vertical. Find the value of and the length
OP. Ans.
3. Two identical elastic springs PQ and QR have
natural length and modulus of elasticity 2mg.
The springs are joinged together at Q. Their other
ends, P and R, are attached to fixed points, with P
being vertically above R. A particle of mass m
is attached at Q and hangs at rest in equilibrium.
Find the distance of the particle of the particle
below P. Ans.
4. A light elastic spring has natural length o.6m and
modulus of elasticity 10N. Find the work done in
compressing the spring from a length of 0.5m to a
length of 0.3m. Ans.
of elasticity is stretched between two points
A and B. The points A and B are on the same
horizontal level and . A particle P is
attached to the mid-point of the string and hangs
in equilibrium with both parts of the string
making an angle of with the line AB. Find, in
terms of m, the mass of the particle. Ans. 0.62m
SUMMARY OF HOOKE’
LAW
1. Elastic strings and springs have a tension or
thrust,
2. The work done in stretching (or
compressing ) an elastic string (or spring) is
3. E.P.E. stored in a string or spring is
4. The work done on a system by external
forces (excluding weights) is equal to the
total change in the mechanical energy of
the system (Work-energy principle)