Forces and springs

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Question 26
Medium

A student investigates how a polymer resistance band stretches under load. They record the extension of the band as force is added (loading) and then as force is removed (unloading).

Their results are plotted on the force-extension graph below:

A graph of Force on the y-axis against Extension on the x-axis. There are two distinct curves forming a closed loop that starts and ends at the origin (0,0). The upper curve is labelled "Loading" and curves smoothly upwards. The lower curve is labelled "Unloading" and lies below the loading curve, forming a loop between them. Neither curve is a straight line. Labelled axes: Force (N) on the vertical axis, Extension (cm) on the horizontal axis.

Explain how the curves on this graph show that the stretching behavior of the polymer resistance band is different from the stretching behavior of a typical metal spring.

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Forces and springs Questions

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