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Physics
Hooke’s law and elastic energy
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Drag a spring to explore force, displacement and elastic potential energy.
Drag handle ↔
Force stays fixed when stiffness changes.
N/m
N
Display
F = kx● Current state
- Applied force F
- N
- Displacement x
- m
- Stiffness k
- N/m
- Elastic potential energy U
- J
Restoring force: 0.0 N
What is happening
At zero applied force, the spring has its natural length and stores no elastic energy. Try dragging the handle.
Model notes
- Ideal massless springs in static equilibrium: applied force F = kx and restoring force Fᵣ = −kx.
- No oscillation, inertia, friction or gravity. Dragging passes through equilibrium states.
- Hooke’s law applies within the elastic limit. Permanent deformation and breakage are not simulated.
- x is displacement from the system’s natural length of 1.5 m; compression is negative. U = ½kx² is nonnegative.
- Thicker drawn wire symbolizes greater stiffness; it is not a law for wire dimensions or material. All modes use the same force scale; an arrow beyond the frame has a break mark and the numerical reading stays exact. The energy column uses a fixed 0–200 J scale, and a pinned reference keeps the value at pinning.