Respuesta :

The work W needed to stretch/compress a spring from rest by a distance x is

W = 1/2 kx²

where k is the spring constant.

This means the work needed to change the length of this spring by 10 cm = 0.01 m is

W = 1/2 (200 N/m) (0.01 m)² = 0.01 J

and by 15 cm = 0.015 m is

W' = 1/2 (200 N/m) (0.015 m)² = 0.0225 J

Then the total work performed on the spring by stretching from 10 cm to 15 cm is

∆W = W' - W = 0.0225 J - 0.01 J = 0.0125 J