Problem

Spring scales work by measuring the displacement of a spring that supports both the platfo...

Spring scales work by measuring the displacement of a spring that supports both the platform of mass mp and the object of mass m, whose weight is being measured. In your solution, note that most scales read zero when no mass m has been placed on them; that is, they are calibrated so that the weight reading neglects the mass of the platform mp. Assume that the spring is linear elastic with spring constant k. If the mass m is gently placed on the spring scale (i.e., it is dropped from zero height above the scale), determine the maximum reading on the scale after the mass is released.