Answer :
Final answer:
The elastic energy of an object being compressed relies on the extent of compression (strain) and the characteristic difficulty of compressing the material (elastic modulus). Answer (a) is correct, as both factors play a role in determining the elastic energy.
Explanation:
The elastic energy of an object that is being compressed depends on how much the object is compressed and how difficult it is to compress it. Specifically, the amount of compression is related to the strain put on the object, and the difficulty of compression is tied to the elastic modulus of the material, such as Young's modulus for linear (tensile or compressive) deformation or the bulk modulus for volumetric deformation (bulk strain).
The formula F = kx describes the force needed to compress a spring a distance x with k being the spring's elastic constant. The work done (W = ½kx²) to compress the spring is stored as elastic potential energy, and it can be fully recovered. This indicates that both the distance by which the spring (or other object) is compressed and the inherent characteristic of the material (expressed by k in the case of a spring) are important.
The correct answer to the student's question is: a) Both how much the object is compressed and how difficult it is to compress it.
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