Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Spring Problem




....because when you turn loose of the spring the force due to your hand
will go away and only the force due to the spring will remain and it will
accelerate the end of the spring.


On Wed, 29 Oct 1997 SSMOTHERMAN@MSCC.CC.TN.US wrote:

I have a question that, on the surface, appears so simple, I'm
embarrased to ask it. But it's something that has me stumped. Maybe there is
something obvious that I'm overlooking.
We have a horizontal, unstretched spring connected at one end by a
rigid support. I want to apply a force at the other end to stretch the spring.
By the 3rd law, the force I exert to the right (F=kx) will always be equal in
magnitude to the force that the spring exerts back to the left (F=-kx). In
this case, how can there ever be an acceleration of the end of the spring?

Steven Smotherman
Motlow State CC
Tullahoma, TN



W. Barlow Newbolt 540-463-8881 (telephone)
218 Howe Hall 540-463-8884 (fax)
Washington and Lee University newbolt.w@fs.science.wlu.edu
Lexington, Virginia 24450 wnewbolt@liberty.uc.wlu.edu

"Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."

Neils Bohr