Hooke's Law _ GCSE Physics

Doodle Science teaches you high school physics in a less boring way in almost no time! Script: Elastic objects (such as a spring) can store elastic potential energy when they are stretched. For example this happens when a catapult is stretched back. When an elastic object -- such as a spring -- is stretched, the increased length is called an extension. The extension of a truly elastic object (again, such as a spring) is directly proportional to the force applied, provided the limit of proportionality is not exceeded. Meaning the object being stretched doesn't become permanently deformed, such as when a spring doesn't return to its original position after the load is removed. This proportionality is called Hooke's Law and the Force is equal to the spring constant times the extension. The spring constant is measured in N/m and is different for different objects and materials. You work it out by carrying out an experiment with an elastic object and adding a load or force to it. You then measure the extension of the spring and sub the numbers into the formula to get the spring constant. The greater the value of k, the stiffer the spring.