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Hooke's Law

Definition

Hooke's Law states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position. In other words, it describes how a spring stretches or compresses when a force is applied to it.

Analogy

Imagine you have a rubber band. The more you stretch it, the greater the force pulling back on your fingers. Similarly, in Hooke's Law, as you stretch or compress a spring, the greater the force exerted by the spring.

Related terms

Spring Force: The force exerted by a spring when it is stretched or compressed. It follows Hooke's Law and is directly proportional to the displacement of the spring.

Spring Constant: A measure of how stiff or flexible a particular spring is. It represents the ratio between the force applied to a spring and its resulting displacement.

Elastic Potential Energy: The energy stored in an elastic object (such as a stretched or compressed spring) due to its deformation from its equilibrium position. It depends on both the displacement and stiffness of the object.