number 3 !

I would say, based on the below definition, A, B, C, and D.


Elastic Potential Energy

Elastic potential energy is the energy stored in elastic materials as the result of their stretching or compressing. Elastic potential energy can be ...

I would say, based on the below definition, A, B, C, and D.


Elastic Potential Energy

Elastic potential energy is the energy stored in elastic materials as the result of their stretching or compressing. Elastic potential energy can be stored in rubber bands, bungee chords, trampolines, springs, an arrow drawn into a bow, etc. The amount of elastic potential energy stored in such a device is related to the amount of stretch of the device - the more stretch, the more stored energy.

Springs are a special instance of a device which can store elastic potential energy due to either compression or stretching. A force is required to compress a spring; the more compression there is, the more force which is required to compress it further. For certain springs, the amount of force is directly proportional to the amount of stretch or compression (x); the constant of proportionality is known as the spring constant (k).

Such springs are said to follow Hooke's Law. If a spring is not stretched or compressed, then there is no elastic potential energy stored in it. The spring is said to be at its equilibrium position. The equilibrium position is the position that the spring naturally assumes when there is no force applied to it. In terms of potential energy, the equilibrium position could be called the zero-potential energy position. There is a special equation for springs which relates the amount of elastic potential energy to the amount of stretch (or compression) and the spring constant. The equation is



To summarize, potential energy is the energy which is stored in an object due to its position relative to some zero position. An object possesses gravitational potential energy if it is positioned at a height above (or below) the zero height. An object possesses elastic potential energy if it is at a position on an elastic medium other than the equilibrium position.