Totally lost in AP Physics!?

Question

I have no idea how to do this problem!
Here is a website of it...

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=%22a+nonlinear+spring+is+compressed+horizontally.+The+spring+exerts+a+force+that+obeys+the+equation%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

You want to look at the actual document, and not the HTML.

If you can help run me throught it, that would be fantastic!

For "A" i tried to use the eqution F = -kx to solve (using the second graph), but im not sure if that is allowed.

Totally lost!

Any help would be great!

for "A" --- would A = 25?

Answer 1

A=25 (just pick two points on a graph and substitute them into the formula, for example 3.5 = A* sqrt (0.02))

For work done: W=F*x=A*x^3/2

The work done is just the area underneath the graph at any given poin for a particular value of x

Answer 2

Look at the graph on the right where it shows force (F) as a function of the square-root of distance (x^1/2). A is the slope of the line in this graph.