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
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.
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.
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.
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.