In
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
, the restoring force is a force that acts to bring a body to its
equilibrium position. The restoring force is a function only of position of the mass or particle, and it is always directed back toward the
equilibrium position of the system. The restoring force is often referred to in simple harmonic motion. The force responsible for restoring original size and shape is called the restoring force.
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An example is the action of a
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...
. An idealized spring exerts a force proportional to the amount of deformation of the spring from its equilibrium length, exerted in a direction oppose the deformation. Pulling the spring to a greater length causes it to exert a force that brings the spring back toward its equilibrium length. The amount of force can be determined by multiplying the
spring constant
In physics, Hooke's law is an empirical law which states that the force () needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance () scales linearly with respect to that distance—that is, where is a constant factor characteristic of th ...
, characteristic of the spring, by the amount of stretch, also known as
Hooke's Law
In physics, Hooke's law is an empirical law which states that the force () needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance () scales linearly with respect to that distance—that is, where is a constant factor characteristic of t ...
.
Another example is of a pendulum. When a pendulum is not swinging all the forces acting on it are in equilibrium. The force due to gravity and the mass of the object at the end of the pendulum is equal to the tension in the string holding the object up. When a pendulum is put in motion, the place of equilibrium is at the bottom of the swing, the location where the pendulum rests. When the pendulum is at the top of its swing the force returning the pendulum to this midpoint is gravity. As a result, gravity may be seen as a restoring force.
See also
*
Response amplitude operator In the field of ship design and design of other floating structures, a response amplitude operator (RAO) is an engineering statistic, or set of such statistics, that are used to determine the likely behavior of a ship when operating at sea. Known by ...
References
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Force