Compliance is inverse stiffness

Compliance (also called flexibility) quantifies how much a system deforms under load; for an ideal linear spring it is the reciprocal of its stiffness.

Conditions:

1. This law holds locally (i.e. at a specific point along the spring), and is always true when stiffness is constant throughout the spring.

2. Deformation remains within the elastic (Hookean) range.

Links:

1. Wikipedia – Compliance (mechanics)

compliance

compliance of the spring.

Symbol:

c

Latex:

\(c\)

Dimension:

length/force

stiffness

stiffness of the spring.

Symbol:

k

Latex:

\(k\)

Dimension:

force/length

definition

c = 1 / k

Latex:

\[c = \frac{1}{k}\]