To simulate car accidents, auto manufacturers study the collisions of moving cars with mounted springs of different spring constants. Consider a typical simulation with a car of mass 1000 kg moving with a speed `18 kmh^(1)` on a smooth road and colliding with a horizontally mounted spring of spring constant `6.25 xx 10^(-3)Nm^(-1)` What is the maximum compression of the spring?

Explanation

At maximum comprssion `x_(m)`, the K.E. of the car is converted entirely into the P.E. of the spring
`therefore 1/2kx^(2)m=1/2mv^(2) " or " x_(m)=2m`