[Encyclios]

Properties of elastic potential energy

The elastic potential energy is directly proportional to both the elastic constant \(k\) and the square of the spring stretching \(x\); so the potential elastic energy cannot be negative. The energy stored in a spring depends on the:

• the shape of the spring;
• how much the spring is deformed (stretched or compressed);
• material’s elasticity of the spring;
• the value of the spring constant, which defines the amount of force required to deform a spring by a certain length (the work done on the spring).