two springs have spring constants of 10.0 N/cm and 15.0 N/cm. which spring is more difficult to stretch?

F = k x

how hard to pull 1 unit (x = 1 cm) for each?
F1 = 10 Newtons
F2 = 15 Newtons

so 15.0 is harder to stretch

Yes.

The spring constant of two springs is 3 N/cm and 5 N/cm respectively.

To determine which spring is more difficult to stretch, we need to compare their spring constants. The spring constant, denoted by k, represents the stiffness of a spring. A higher spring constant indicates a more difficult-to-stretch spring.

Given that the first spring has a spring constant of 10.0 N/cm and the second spring has a spring constant of 15.0 N/cm, we can conclude that the second spring (15.0 N/cm) is more difficult to stretch.

To calculate the spring constant, we can use Hooke's Law, which states that the force required to stretch or compress a spring is directly proportional to the displacement from its equilibrium position. The formula for Hooke's Law is:

F = k * x

Where:
F is the force applied to the spring,
k is the spring constant, and
x is the displacement from the equilibrium position.

Since we want to compare the spring constants and not calculate the forces, we can disregard the displacement (x) and focus on the spring constants (k). Comparing 10.0 N/cm and 15.0 N/cm, we can see that 15.0 N/cm is the larger value, indicating that the second spring requires more force to stretch it and is therefore more difficult to stretch.