Physics (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1118486897
ISBN 13: 978-1-11848-689-4

Chapter 10 - Simple Harmonic Motion and Elasticity - Check Your Understanding - Page 254: 4

Answer

Spring will stretch more in the first case when the spring is attached to the wall.

Work Step by Step

Let say the force a single person exerts on the spring is $F$. In the first condition when the spring is attached to the wall. The two persons pulls the spring to the right with force $2F$. The wall also applies the same force on the other side i.e $2F$ in the opposite direction. So the tension in the spring is $2F$. In the second condition when the spring is detached from the wall, one person pulls the spring in one direction with force $F$ and the other pulls in the other direction with same force $F$. Hence tension in this case would be $F$. For a spring: $$T = kx$$ So, more $T$ means more elongation. Hence the spring will stretch more in the first condition.
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