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Intro to Springs (Hooke's Law) definitions Flashcards

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Intro to Springs (Hooke's Law) definitions
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  • Spring Constant
    A measure of a spring's stiffness, indicating the force needed to change its length by one meter, with units in Newtons per meter (N/m).
  • Deformation
    The change in length of a spring from its original length, either by compression or stretching.
  • Restoring Force
    The force exerted by a spring to return to its original length, acting opposite to the direction of deformation.
  • Equilibrium
    The state where the forces on a spring balance out, resulting in no net force and no acceleration.
  • Hooke's Law
    The principle stating that the force exerted by a spring is proportional to its deformation, expressed as F = -kx.
  • Newton's Third Law
    The law stating that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
  • Vertical Spring
    A spring oriented vertically, where its deformation is influenced by gravitational force on an attached mass.
  • Compression
    The act of shortening a spring's length by applying a force.
  • Stretching
    The act of elongating a spring's length by applying a force.
  • Relaxed Position
    The state of a spring when it is at its original length, with no deformation.
  • Force of Spring
    The force exerted by a spring, calculated as the product of the spring constant and deformation.
  • Mass
    The quantity of matter in an object, which influences the gravitational force acting on a spring.
  • Gravitational Force
    The force exerted by the Earth on a mass, calculated as the product of mass and gravitational acceleration.
  • Oscillation
    The repetitive variation in position of a spring around its equilibrium point when disturbed.
  • Force Constant
    Another term for spring constant, indicating the stiffness of a spring.