Harmonic spring approximation

The Harmonic spring (also known as the Hookean spring) approximation assumes that the spring obeys Hookes Law, i.e.

${\mathbf {F} }=-k{\mathbf {x} }$

where F is the force, x is the extension of the spring, and k is the spring constant.

This approximation is often used for chemical-bond stretching terms in various force fields:

$\Phi _{str}(r_{12})={\frac {1}{2}}K_{str}(r_{12}-b_{0})^{2}$