In an oscillating mass connected to a spring, the force that the spring exerts on the mass is described by which equation?

The force that a spring exerts on a mass in an oscillating system is accurately given by the equation F = −kx. In this equation, F represents the force exerted by the spring, k is the spring constant (indicating the stiffness of the spring), and x is the displacement of the mass from the equilibrium position. The negative sign is critical because it indicates the direction of the force is opposite to the direction of displacement.

This means that if the mass is displaced to the right (positive x), the spring exerts a force to the left (negative F), pulling the mass back toward the equilibrium position. Conversely, if the mass is displaced to the left, the spring will exert a force to the right. This restoring force is what causes oscillation, as it continually pulls the mass back towards equilibrium, illustrating the fundamental behavior of harmonic motion in spring systems.

Other equations listed do not accurately describe the spring force in this context. For instance, F = kx would imply that the force increases in the same direction as the displacement, which does not align with how springs behave. The equation F = ma represents Newton's second law of motion, relating force to mass and acceleration, but it does not specifically account for the