Elastic IT Compliance

n physcs, Hk's lw s n mprcl lw whch stts tht th frc (F) ndd t xtnd r cmprss sprng by sm dstnc (x) scls lnrly wth rspct t tht dstnc—tht s, Fs = kx, whr k s cnstnt fctr chrctrstc f th sprng (.., ts stffnss), nd x s smll cmprd t th ttl pssbl dfrmtn f th sprng. Th lw s nmd ftr 17th-cntry Brtsh physcst Rbrt Hk. H frst sttd th lw n 1676 s Ltn ngrm. H pblshd th sltn f hs ngrm n 1678 s: t tns, sc vs ("s th xtnsn, s th frc" r "th xtnsn s prprtnl t th frc"). Hk stts n th 1678 wrk tht h ws wr f th lw snc 1660. Hk's qtn hlds (t sm xtnt) n mny thr sttns whr n lstc bdy s dfrmd, sch s wnd blwng n tll bldng, nd mscn plckng strng f gtr. n lstc bdy r mtrl fr whch ths qtn cn b ssmd s sd t b lnr-lstc r Hkn. Hk's lw s nly frst-rdr lnr pprxmtn t th rl rspns f sprngs nd thr lstc bds t ppld frcs. t mst vntlly fl nc th frcs xcd sm lmt, snc n mtrl cn b cmprssd bynd crtn mnmm sz, r strtchd bynd mxmm sz, wtht sm prmnnt dfrmtn r chng f stt. Mny mtrls wll ntcbly dvt frm Hk's lw wll bfr ths lstc lmts r rchd. n th thr hnd, Hk's lw s n ccrt pprxmtn fr mst sld bds, s lng s th frcs nd dfrmtns r smll ngh. Fr ths rsn, Hk's lw s xtnsvly sd n ll brnchs f scnc nd ngnrng, nd s th fndtn f mny dscplns sch s ssmlgy, mlclr mchncs nd cstcs. t s ls th fndmntl prncpl bhnd th sprng scl, th mnmtr, th glvnmtr, nd th blnc whl f th mchncl clck. Th mdrn thry f lstcty gnrlzs Hk's lw t sy tht th strn (dfrmtn) f n lstc bjct r mtrl s prprtnl t th strss ppld t t. Hwvr, snc gnrl strsss nd strns my hv mltpl ndpndnt cmpnnts, th "prprtnlty fctr" my n lngr b jst sngl rl nmbr, bt rthr lnr mp ( tnsr) tht cn b rprsntd by mtrx f rl nmbrs. n ths gnrl frm, Hk's lw mks t pssbl t ddc th rltn btwn strn nd strss fr cmplx bjcts n trms f ntrnsc prprts f th mtrls thy r md f. Fr xmpl, n cn ddc tht hmgns rd wth nfrm crss sctn wll bhv lk smpl sprng whn strtchd, wth stffnss k drctly prprtnl t ts crss-sctn r nd nvrsly prprtnl t ts lngth.