A spring-loaded dart gun is used to shoot a dart straight up into the air, and the dart reaches a maximum height of 24 meters. The same dart is shot up a second time from the same gun, but this
Time the spring is compressed only half as far (compared to the first shot). How far up does the
Dart go this time (neglect all friction and assume the spring is ideal)?
A) 12 m
B) 6.0 m
C) 48 m
D) 3.0 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The potential energy stored in a spring is proportional to the square of the compression distance. If the spring is compressed half as far, the energy is reduced to one-fourth, so the dart will reach one-fourth of the original height, which is 6.0 meters.

A Spring-Loaded Dart Gun Is Used to Shoot a Dart