Exploring Elasticity and Motion

Which of the following best describes Hooke's Law?

• The force required to compress a spring is proportional to the square of the displacement.

• The force required to stretch or compress a spring is directly proportional to the displacement from its equilibrium position.

• The force required to stretch a spring is inversely proportional to the displacement.

• The force required to stretch a spring is independent of the displacement.

Which of the following statements about simple harmonic motion (SHM) is correct?

• The acceleration is always constant.

• The acceleration is always directed away from the mean position.

• The acceleration is directly proportional to the displacement and directed towards the mean position.

• The velocity is always constant.

The potential energy stored in a stretched or compressed spring is given by:

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of simple harmonic motion?

• The motion is periodic.

• The restoring force is proportional to displacement.

• The motion has a constant speed.

• The acceleration is directed towards the equilibrium position.

• Angular frequency

• Phase constant

• Amplitude

• Time period

Which of the following graphs best represents the variation of restoring force with displacement for a spring obeying Hooke's Law?

• A straight line passing through the origin with positive slope

• A straight line passing through the origin with negative slope

• A parabola opening upwards

• A horizontal straight line