Hooke's Law Calculator
Hooke's law says the force a spring pushes or pulls with grows in step with how far you stretch or squeeze it. Enter the spring's stiffness and the distance, and the force follows.
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How it works
The force equals the spring constant times the distance the spring is stretched or squeezed, written F = k times x. The spring constant is in newtons per metre, and the force comes out in newtons.
The energy stored in the spring is half the spring constant times the distance squared. The law holds only while the spring stays within its elastic range.
Worked example
A spring with a stiffness of 200 newtons per metre, stretched 2 in, pulls back with 2.28 lbf and stores 0.062 cal of energy.
Questions
What is spring stiffness?
It is how many newtons of force it takes to stretch the spring by one metre. A stiffer spring has a bigger number.
What happens past the elastic range?
A spring that is stretched too far can bend or keep a new length. The law no longer describes it there, so do not rely on the figure.
What distance should I enter?
Measure from the spring's resting length, not from its end-to-end length when it is loose or wound up.
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