HelpContactFor teachers and institutes
>_StemPy Lab
Mock TestsClasses

>_StemPy Lab

Learn. Solve. Code the solutions. Test yourself.

Live examsFree mock exams, timed and rankedEveryone starts together, and your score and rank come the moment it ends.See the exams →

Learn

  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Mathematics
  • Biology
  • Python Programming
  • Statistics & Data Science
  • Classes
  • Groups

Practice

  • Problems
  • Quizzes
  • Mock Tests
  • Prepare for an Exam
  • Question Sets
  • Exams
  • Certificates
  • Python Labs
  • AI Practice Generator
  • Student-Created Tests

Community

  • Discussions
  • Resources
  • Notes
  • Glossary
  • Blog

Account

  • Log in
© 2026 senLearn. All rights reserved.HelpAboutContactPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseRefund Policy
  1. Glossary
  2. /Physics
  3. /Hooke's Law

What is Hooke's Law?

In short

Hooke's law says that the extension of a spring or a wire is proportional to the force stretching it, as long as the elastic limit is not passed: F=kxF = kxF=kx.

In simple words

The spring constant kkk is in N/m\text{N/m}N/m and tells you how stiff the spring is. The graph of force against extension is a straight line through the origin until the limit of proportionality. Beyond the elastic limit the spring does not return to its original length. Hooke's law for a spring is the same idea as the proportional region of a stress-strain curve.

Example

A spring with k=200 N/mk = 200\ \text{N/m}k=200 N/m is pulled by a force of 10 N10\ \text{N}10 N. Its extension is x=10 N200 N/m=0.050 mx = \dfrac{10\ \text{N}}{200\ \text{N/m}} = 0.050\ \text{m}x=200 N/m10 N​=0.050 m, or 5.0 cm5.0\ \text{cm}5.0 cm.

Learn it properly

  • Lessons on this topic
  • Practise problems
  • Test yourself

Related terms

  • Stress and Strain
  • Archimedes' Principle

← All glossary terms

Learn it in

  1. Stress, Strain and Hooke's LawClass 11 to 12
  2. Shear Modulus, Bulk Modulus and Poisson's RatioClass 11 to 12
  3. Elastic Energy and ApplicationsClass 11 to 12
All lessons on this topic →

Practise

  1. A lift and its passengers have a mass of 1000 kg…Hard
  2. A rock flows under a stress of about 2.2 × 10⁸ Pa, and its density is 2900 kg/m³…
Medium
  • A steel beam rests on supports 2.5 m apart…Medium
  • A crane lifts at most 8 tonnes (8000 kg)…Medium
    • All problems on this topic →

    Quick questions

    1. A copper wire and a steel wire of the same length carry the same load and stretch by the…Hard
    2. A wire of radius r breaks under a load F. What load breaks a wire of the same metal with…Medium
    3. A brass rod 0.80 m long, with a cross-section of 3.0 cm², is squeezed end to end in a…Medium

    More Physics terms

    1. Acceleration
    2. Acceleration Due to Gravity (g)
    3. Adiabatic Process
    4. Amplitude
    5. Angle of Incidence
    6. Angle of Reflection
    All Physics terms →

    Preparing for an exam?

    Pick your exam to see its syllabus, where you stand in each unit and what to practise next.

    See exam preparation