Hookes-law-ppt.pptVIP

* * The spring constant k is measured in Nm-1 because it is the force per unit extension. The value of k does not change unless you change the shape of the spring or the material that the spring is made of. * * * This can be seen very plainly by comparing the effect of kicking a football, which squashes as you kick it giving a big collision time * Andy O Brian with both the Ball and his nose showing elastic behaviour * followed by kicking a brick. The brick doesnt squash, giving a very quick collision time and a very painful foot. This is why airbags and crumple zones can reduce injuries (these are both parts of a car designed to squash rather than be rigid). So to reduce injuries in a collision, always slow down in as long a time as possible. This is why you bend your legs when landing after a jump and why parachutists roll when they hit the ground. * * Hooke’s Law Hooke’s Law In the 1600s, a scientist called Robert Hooke discovered a law for elastic materials. Hookes achievements were extraordinary - he made the first powerful microscope and wrote the first scientific best-seller, Micrographia. He even coined the word ‘Cell’. Hookes Law, elastic and plastic behaviour If a material returns to its original size and shape when you remove the forces stretching or deforming it (reversible deformation), we say that the material is demonstrating elastic behaviour. A plastic (or inelastic) material is one that stays deformed after you have taken the force away. If deformation remains (irreversible deformation) after the forces are removed then it is a sign of plastic behaviour. If you apply too big a force a material will lose its elasticity. Hooke discovered that the amount a spring stretches is proportional to the amount of force applied to it. This means if you double the force its extension will double, if you triple the force the extension will triple and so on. The elastic limit can be seen on the graph. This is where it stops obeying Hookes