In a pinball machine, a player pulls back a plunger to launch a ball. A metal collar on the plunger shaft hits a physical stop, which limits how far the spring can be compressed.
Explain how this design feature prevents the spring from becoming permanently damaged.
23 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.