Hooke’s Law

Hooke’s Law
In the 1600s, a scientist called
Robert Hooke discovered a law
for elastic materials.

Hooke's achievements were

extraordinary - he made the
first powerful microscope and
wrote the first scientific best-
seller, Micrographia.

He even coined the word ‘Cell’.

 Hooke's Law, elastic and plastic
behaviour
If a material returns to its original size and shape when you remove the forces
stretching or deforming it (reversible deformation), we say that the material is
demonstrating elastic behaviour.

• A plastic (or inelastic) material is one that stays deformed after you have
taken the force away. If deformation remains (irreversible deformation) after
the forces are removed then it is a sign of plastic behaviour.

• A brittle material breaks after a force is applied to it.

• If you apply too big a force a material will lose its elasticity.

• Hooke discovered that the amount a spring stretches is proportional to the

amount of force applied to it. This means if you double the force its extension
will double, if you triple the force the extension will triple and so on.
The elastic limit can be seen on the graph.
This is where it stops obeying Hookes law.
 You can write Hooke's law as an
equation:
F=k∆x
Where:
• F is the applied force (in newtons, N),
• x is the extension (in metres, m) and
• k is the spring constant (in N/m).
• The extension ∆x (delta-x) is sometimes
written e or ∆l. You find the extension from:
• ∆x = stretched length – original length.
Hooke's
___________ Law: The compression or elongation x of an
equilibrium
ideal spring from its ________________ position (x = 0)
directly proportional
is ____________________________to the applied force Fs.

Fs = kx

stretching or elongation: compression:

x=0
x=0

x x

Fs
Fs

stretch
More F  more compression
____________ or __________________.
 Hooke's Law is often written: Fs = -kx

This is because it also describes the force that the

spring _______________
itself exertsobject
on an ___________ that is attached
to it. The negative sign indicates that the direction of
opposite
the spring force is always _____________ to the
displacement of the object

-x

compressed > 0
Fs ___
spring:
Fs

x=0
equilibrium
______________
undisturbed position, Fs = __ 0
spring

+x
stretched
spring: < 0
Fs ___
Fs
 Ex. A weight of 8.7 N is attached to a spring that
has a spring constant of 190 N/m. How much
will the spring stretch?

w/o weight w/ weight

Given:

Fs = 8.7 N

k= 190 N/m
x
Unknown:

8.7
x =? N
Equation:

Fs = kx
8.7 N = (190 N/m) x
x = 4.6 x 10-2 m
 Fs = kx Fs
direct
Ex: A force of 5.0 N
causes the spring to
Stretch 0.015 m. 10
How far will it stretch
if the force is 10 N?
5

2 (0.015 m)
= 0.030 m
.015 ? x

What quantity does the slope represent?

slope = y/x Compare to Fs = kx

=
Solve for Fs/x = k
Fs/x

the spring constant, k.

The slope represents _______________________________
Ex. Comparing
Fs spring
two springs that
B
stretch different
amounts.

spring
A
Applying the same
force F to both springs

x
xB xA

Which spring stretches more? A

Which is stiffer?
B

greater larger
stiffer spring  _________ slope  _________ k
 Hold on a minute, K? Spring
Constant?!
• The spring constant measures how stiff the spring is.
• The larger the spring constant the stiffer the spring.
• You may be able to see this by looking at the graphs below:

k is measured in units of newtons per metre (Nm -1).

 Example
• A spring is 0.38m long. When it is pulled by a force of
2.0 N, it stretches to 0.42 m. What is the spring
constant? Assume the spring behaves elastically.
Extension, ∆x = Stretched length – Original length =
. 0.42m – 0.38m = 0.04
m
F=k∆x
So, k = 2.0 N
2.0N = k x 0.04m 0.04 m
= 50 N m-1
 Elastic behaviour – Car Safety
• Elastic behaviour is very
important in car safety, as
car seatbelts are made from
elastic materials. However,
after a crash they must be
replaced as they will go
past their elastic limit.
• Why have seat belts that
are elastic?
• Why not just have very
rigid seatbelts that would
keep you firmly in place?
• The reason for this, is that it
would be very dangerous
and cause large injuries.
This is because it would
slow your body down too
quickly. The quicker a
collision, the bigger the
force that is produced.
 Key Definitions
• Hooke’s Law = The amount a
spring stretches is proportional F=k∆x
to the amount of force applied
to it.
• The spring constant measures
how stiff the spring is. The
larger the spring constant the
stiffer the spring.
• A Diagram to show Hooke’s
Law