A common technique used to measure the force constant of a spring is demonstrated by the setup in Figure 1. The spring is hung vertically (Figure 1a), and a Sagada orange of mass m is attached to its lower end. Under the action of the "load" mg, the spring stretches a distance d from its equilibrium position (Figure 1b). (A) If a spring is stretched 2.0 cm by a suspended Sagada orange having a mass of 0.55 kg, what is the force constant of the spring? (B) How much work is done by the spring on the object as it stretches through this distance?

A common technique used to measure the force constant of a spring is demonstrated by the setup in Figure 1. The spring is hung vertically (Figure 1a), and a Sagada orange of mass m is attached to its lower end. Under the action of the "load" mg, the spring stretches a distance d from its equilibrium position (Figure 1b). (A) If a spring is stretched 2.0 cm by a suspended Sagada orange having a mass of 0.55 kg, what is the force constant of the spring? (B) How much work is done by the spring on the object as it stretches through this distance?