A spring in a bicycle suspension is compressed by 20 mm on a smooth road. When the bicycle passes over a bump, the same spring is compressed by 30 mm. The spring is in its linear region at both compressions.
A cyclist says that increasing the compression by 50% increases the energy stored by 50%.
Explain why the cyclist is incorrect.
102 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 15.1 Forces and springs, covering 15.1.1 Elastic and inelastic distortion, 15.1.2 The spring constant, 15.1.3 Work done in stretching a spring, and 15.1.4 Linear and non-linear force–extension. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.