In an arcade game, a 0.18 kg disk is shot across a frictionless horizontal surface by being compressed against a spring and then released. If the spring has a spring constant of 237 N/m and is compressed from its equilibrium position by 6.6 cm, what is the magnitude of the spring force on the disk at the moment it is released?

To find the magnitude of the spring force on the disk at the moment it is released, we can use Hooke's law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the displacement from its equilibrium position.

The equation for Hooke's law is:

F = k * x

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

Given:
Mass of the disk (m) = 0.18 kg
Spring constant (k) = 237 N/m
Displacement (x) = 6.6 cm = 0.066 m (converted to meters)

To find the magnitude of the spring force (F), we can substitute the given values into the equation for Hooke's law:

F = k * x
= 237 N/m * 0.066 m
≈ 15.642 N

Therefore, the magnitude of the spring force on the disk at the moment it is released is approximately 15.642 N.

To find the magnitude of the spring force on the disk at the moment it is released, we can use Hooke's Law. Hooke's Law states that the force exerted by a spring is proportional to the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position.

The formula for Hooke's Law is given as:

F = -kx

Where:
F is the magnitude of the spring force,
k is the spring constant, and
x is the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position.

In this case, the spring constant (k) is given as 237 N/m, and the displacement (x) is 6.6 cm, which can be converted to meters by dividing by 100:

x = 6.6 cm / 100 = 0.066 m

Now, we can substitute these values into the formula:

F = -kx
F = -237 N/m * 0.066 m

Calculating this gives:

F ≈ -15.642 N

The magnitude of the spring force on the disk at the moment it is released is approximately 15.642 N. Note that the negative sign indicates that the force is acting in the opposite direction to the displacement.