An industrial robotic gripper uses a calibrated spring-loaded mechanism to hold fragile components safely. When the gripper is fully engaged, the internal spring is compressed.
The compression of the spring is 0.15 m0.15\text{ m}0.15 m. The spring constant is 1600 N/m1600\text{ N/m}1600 N/m.
Calculate the elastic potential energy stored in the spring when the gripper is fully engaged.
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)2