Hooke’s Law

Vinutna Veeragandham

Hooke's Law: the force needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance is proportional to that distance.

The Main Idea

Hooke's Law demonstrates the relationship between forces applied to a spring and elasticity. It states that the force needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance is proportional to that distance. This law applies to many different materials such as balloons or strings; an elastic body to which Hooke's law applies is known as linear-elastic. Hooke's Law has been the basis for the modern Theory of Elasticity, led to creation of new inventions as well as been the foundation of many different branches of science such as seismology, molecular mechanics and acoustics.

A Mathematical Model

   F = -kX

F - restoring force, force by which the free end of the spring is being pulled

      SI Units: Newtons

k - spring constant, an inherent property of the string

      SI Units: Meters

X - spring displacement from the spring's free end while at equilibrium position

      SI Units: Newtons/Meters