- #1
hanag
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Homework Statement
The drawing below shows a hydraulic chamber in which a spring (spring constant = 1580 N/m) is attached to the input piston (A1 = 15.3 cm2), and a rock of mass 41.9 kg rests on the output plunger (A2 = 66.6 cm2). The piston and plunger are nearly at the same height, and each has a negligible mass. By how much is the spring compressed from its unstrained position?
Homework Equations
F1/A1=F2/A2
F=kx
The Attempt at a Solution
F1/15.3 cm^2= 410.62 N/66.6 cm^2 F1=94.33 N
94.33 N= 1580 N/m
0.0597 m
I'm pretty sure this is the correct solution, I just don't understand why I should use F=kx rather than F=kx^2.