Why is the work done by spring force negative?

Elements Of Electromagnetics
7th Edition
ISBN:9780190698614
Author:Sadiku, Matthew N. O.
Publisher:Sadiku, Matthew N. O.
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Why is the work done by spring force negative?

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The spring force on the body can be expressed as,

F=-kx

Where k is the spring constant and x is the stretch or compression in the spring from its natural length. Here negative sign shows that the spring force is in the opposite direction of x ( displacement of the body). This is due to fact that the spring always tries to restore its natural length.

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