Work by the Force of a Spring

Work by the Force of a Spring

A mechanical spring does work as it extends after compression. This work can be described as:

       

        Where F(x) = the force supplied by the spring as a function of x

        x = the spring deflection

        a  = the initial deflection of the spring

         b = the final deflection of the spring

 For a spring, the force is: F = k x, where k is the spring constant in lb/in or N/m.

NEED SKETCH

        Example