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Mechanical Equivalent of a Capacitor is a Spring

The mechanical analog of a capacitor is the compliance of a spring. The voltage $ v(t)$ across a capacitor $ C$ corresponds to the force $ f(t)$ used to displace a spring. The charge $ q(t)$ stored in the capacitor corresponds to the displacement $ x(t)$ of the spring. Thus, Eq.(E.2) corresponds to Hooke's law for ideal springs:

$\displaystyle x(t) = \frac{1}{k} f(t),
$

where $ k$ is called the spring constant or spring stiffness. Note that Hooke's law is usually written as $ f(t) =
k\,x(t)$ . The quantity $ 1/k$ is called the spring compliance.


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``Introduction to Digital Filters with Audio Applications'', by Julius O. Smith III, (September 2007 Edition)
Copyright © 2023-09-17 by Julius O. Smith III
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA),   Stanford University
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