Equations · equation
Hooke's Law
Materials Science · 1678
- Equation
- F = −kx
- Field
- Materials Science
- Named After
- Robert Hooke
- Year
- 1678
Symbols
F restoring force · k stiffness of the spring or material · x displacement from rest · the minus sign points the force back toward equilibrium
Significance
Stretch is proportional to force — announced by Hooke as the anagram 'ceiiinosssttuv' (ut tensio, sic vis) to stake his claim before revealing it. Springs, bonds between atoms, and every small vibration in physics answer to it: the harmonic oscillator is this law in motion.
Referenced by
element
equation
skill
Open on the Equations shelf — the interactive card, the filters, and everything alongside it.