Physics Illustrations

Metal coil springs have existed since the Bronze Age and can be found everywhere from automobile suspensions to playground toys like the slinky. Most coil springs have an easily predicted behavior when a force is applied that is defined by Hooke's Law. Continue > Spring Coils - Physics and Workings

Applied Use of a Spring Coil - History of the Slinky

Richard James and Betty James invented the slinky in 1945. Richard James was a naval engineer trying to develop a meter designed to monitor horsepower on naval battleships. He was working with tension springs (1943) when one of the springs fell to the ground. He saw how the spring kept moving after it hit the ground and an idea for a toy was born. Continue > History of the Slinky