An ideal spring is hung vertically from the ceiling. when a 2.0-kg mass hangs at rest from it the spring is extended 6.0 cm from its relaxed length. an upward external force is then applied to the block to move it upward a distance of 16 cm. while the the block is being extended by the force, the work done by the spring is

The force for a spring can be determined from Hooke's law: F=-kx, where k is the spring constant and x is the length of the spring. The work done can be determined using the equation: W=Fd. If you want to know the work done by the spring, you can substitute the force for a spring into the work equation, so the equation becomes W=-Fxd. If we solve the equation, F=mg where g is the acceleration due to gravity, so F = (2.0 kg) (9.8 m/s^2) = 19.6 N. We have the force. The work done is W = (19.6 N) (0.06 m) (0.16 m) =.188 J