A helical spring is hung from the edge of a bench top, as shown. Before the load is hung on the spring, the pin points to the 29.8 cm mark on the metre rule.When a load of 5.5 N is hung on the spring, the pin points to 62.8 cm. Calculate the the spring constant.

The spring constant (k) can be calculated using Hooke's Law, which states that the force (F) exerted by a spring is equal to the displacement (x) it experiences times the spring constant (k). This can be written as:

F = kx

We can rearrange this equation to solve for the spring constant (k):

k = F/x

The force (F) in this case is the weight hung on the spring, which is 5.5 N.

The displacement (x) is the change in length of the spring. This can be calculated by subtracting the initial length of the spring (29.8 cm) from the final length of the spring (62.8 cm).

So, x = 62.8 cm - 29.8 cm = 33 cm.

However, we need to convert this length to meters (since the force is in Newtons and we want the spring constant in N/m).

So, x = 33 cm * (1 m/100 cm) = 0.33 m.

Now we can calculate the spring constant:

k = F/x = 5.5 N / 0.33 m = 16.67 N/m.

So, the spring constant is approximately 16.67 N/m.

The spring constant (k) can be calculated using Hooke's Law, which states that the force (F) exerted by a spring is equal to the displacement (x) it experiences times the spring constant (k). This can be written as:

F = kx

We can rearrange this equation to solve for the spring constant (k):

k = F/x

The displacement (x) is the difference in the initial and final positions of the pin. In this case, it is 62.8 cm - 29.8 cm = 33 cm. We need to convert this to meters, because the standard unit of displacement in the SI system is meters. So, x = 33 cm = 0.33 m.

The force (F) is given as 5.5 N.

Substituting these values into the equation gives:

k = 5.5 N / 0.33 m = 16.67 N/m

So, the spring constant is 16.67 N/m.