Elastic Potential Energy

Real World Example

Imagine you're trying to fit all your clothes into a suitcase that's just a bit too small. Just like you squish and compress your clothes to make everything fit, storing potential energy in the squeezed items, when you stretch or compress a spring, it also stores energy. The force you use to pack the suitcase tightly is akin to the force applied to stretch or compress the spring, with both scenarios involving stored energy that can be released—whether it's the suitcase popping open or the spring snapping back to its original shape.