Calculate the energy stored in a stretched or compressed spring.
The force in a spring rises linearly with displacement, so the energy — the area under that line — rises with the square. Doubling the stretch therefore stores four times the energy. Spring energy scaling with x² is why the last centimetre of compression stores far more than the first, and why over-compression fails components suddenly.
Elastic Potential Energy
E = ½ k x²
E = ½ k x² The force in a spring rises linearly with displacement, so the energy — the area under that line — rises with the square. Doubling the stretch therefore stores four times the energy.
Spring energy scaling with x² is why the last centimetre of compression stores far more than the first, and why over-compression fails components suddenly.
This calculator takes 2 inputs: Spring constant, Displacement from rest. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.