An automatic safety switch contains a spring. When the switch is set to the 'on' position, the spring is stretched.
The extension of the spring is 0.050 m0.050\text{ m}0.050 m. The spring constant is 320 N/m320\text{ N/m}320 N/m.
Calculate the elastic potential energy stored in the spring when the switch is set to 'on'.
Use the equation:
elastic potential energy=0.5×spring constant×(extension)2 \text{elastic potential energy} = 0.5 \times \text{spring constant} \times (\text{extension})^2 elastic potential energy=0.5×spring constant×(extension)244 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Physics 1.1 Energy changes in a system, and the ways energy is stored before and after such changes, covering 1.1.1 Energy stores and systems, 1.1.2 Changes in energy, 1.1.3 Energy changes in systems, and 1.1.4 Power. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.