Does the thickness of wire affect k in the formula Fx=kx? and why?

Question

Do springs with large k feel sturdy or flimsy?

Answer 1

i believe Hooke's law is F=-kx.

force provided by a spring is proportional to its extension x. naturally you would expect a thicker spring to be much more difficult to stretch. which means a thicker spring will apparently require more force to extend it the same distance as a thinner spring.

the spring constant k depends on many factors including the cross section, elasticity and various properties relating to the spring material. according to hooke's law the force from the spring is also proportional to k. larger k, larger force.

high k, low k. which is more sturdy? guess.

Answer 2

Find your stack of binder paper. Take a single sheet and try to bend it. Now take the entire stack and try to bend it. That should tell you about the significance of thickness of the spring's wire.

As for the magnitude of k, that is the force constant. So compression of the spring can be written as x = F/k. So a small k means that a fixed force will compress the spring by a lot, while a large k means that the same force will compress the spring only a little.