A Level Physics Practice Exam 2025 - Free A Level Physics Practice Questions and Study Guide

To determine how much the lorry compresses the spring, one typically considers the weight of the lorry and the properties of the spring itself, particularly its spring constant. When a load, such as a lorry, is placed on the spring, the force due to the weight of the lorry causes the spring to compress according to Hooke's Law, which states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to its displacement from the equilibrium position. The equation can be expressed as:

F = kx

where F is the force applied (the weight of the lorry), k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement, which in this case is the amount by which the spring is compressed.

If the answer indicates that the compression is 0.030 m, it suggests that upon analyzing the forces in equilibrium, where the gravitational force acting on the lorry equals the restoring force of the spring, the calculations using the spring constant and weight yield this specific value.

This means that for the given scenario, the weight of the lorry and the resulting force exerted on the spring have been computed correctly, yielding a compression of 0.030 m that adheres to the principles of mechanics and the properties of springs