Hooke's Law

The Trampoline

Hooke's law deals with springs and equilibrium. A trampoline is essentially an elastic disc that is connected to several springs. As you land on the trampoline the springs and the trampoline surface stretches as a result of the force of your body landing on it. 
Hooke's law states that the springs will work to return to equilibrium. In other words, the springs will pull back against the weight of your body as you land. The magnitude of this force is equal to that which you exert on the trampoline when you land. Hooke's law is stated in the following equation: F = -kx where F is force, k is the spring constant and x is the displacement of the spring. Hooke's law is merely another form of potential energy. Just as the trampoline is about to propel you up, your kinetic energy is 0 but your potential energy is maximized, even though you are at a minimum height. This is because your potential energy is related to the spring constant and Hooke's Law.