Help with this question? Answer is C.
Tension & Springs
- Thread starter NA19
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This question has been dealt with before I think. The individual extensions add up to give total extension and spring constant being the same, individual tensions will add up as well to give nT as total tension. Oh, I didn't realize the answer was T. Well in that case I am wrong, so I guess I am not sure what the deal is here - but I do know this question has been dealt with before.
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This looks hard but it's actually really simple. The springs are all in series, so between the plates there is basically a coiled wire (since the springs are all identical). In mechanical equilibrium, the tension in a wire will be the same at every point, so obviously the total tension in the wire will be equal to the tension in any given spring.
Essentially think of the spring like a regular wire. If you're lengthening the wire, there's no more tension being added. Tension is a force that resists a pulling force. It's only dependent on whatever force is acting on the spring or wire and not on any property of the spring itself.
