why is it more sensible to express the spring constant in N/m rather than kg/s^2?

Question

are displacement and force in hooke's law always opposite in signs?

Answer 1

If you think about pulling a spring out, you need to pull with a certain amount of force (newtons) for every meter you pull.

Think about the physical situation, and I think you will understand why the displacement and the force are always opposite signs.

Answer 2

Spring constant is ratio of force to displacement

Spring constant i= force / displacement

unit of Spring constant =( unit of force ) / ( unit of displacement)

unit of Spring constant =newton / meter = N /m

Thus N/m is closer to definition

Although kg / s^2 is dimensionally same as N/m but kg/s^2 does not directly provide a clue about the ratio force to
displacement
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The displacement and spring (elastic ) force are in opposite direction ,hence displacement and force in Hooke's law are always opposite in signs

Answer 3

Because it's easier to understand newtons per meter of displacement. And that's the way it's usually used.

The have to be opposite in sign. You push against the spring and it pushes back.

Doug