Q. A mass of $0.5\ kg$ moving with a speed of $1.5\ m/s$ on a horizontal smooth surface, collides with a nearly weightless spring of force constant $k = 50\ N/m$. The maximum compression of the spring would be
A) $0.15\ m$
B) $0.12\ m$
C) $1.5\ m$
D) $0.5\ m$
Explanation
(a) The kinetic energy of mass is converted into potential energy of a spring
$\frac{1}{2}\ mv^{2} = \frac{1}{2}kx^{2} \Rightarrow x = \sqrt{\frac{mv^{2}}{k}} = \sqrt{\frac{0.5 \times (1.5)^{2}}{50}} = 0.15\ m$
Reviewed by Dr. Abubacker
Physics Educator & NEET/JEE Specialist
Ph.D. in Physics with 19+ years of teaching experience.