Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Elastic potential energy refers to the stored energy in objects that can be stretched or compressed, such as springs or rubber bands. It depends on the amount of deformation and the spring constant.
Hooke's Law states that within certain limits, the force needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance is directly proportional to that distance.
The spring constant measures how stiff or soft a spring is. A higher value indicates greater resistance to deformation and more elastic potential energy.
Conservation of Mechanical Energy: This principle states that in an isolated system where only conservative forces act, mechanical energy remains constant throughout any process.