Have you already read the recent Joshing With Physics post “Hooke’d On Physics“? I left an open ended question that asked how could the mass in Hooke’s law be negative, as shown here, 
This question arose from the presentation of Hooke’s law as 
We set Hooke’s law equal to Newton’s force of 
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
If you guessed gravity, then you just don’t understand the gravity of the situation. In this representation the gravity
So our mysterious force is actually Hooke’s law itself! Often referred to as the restoring force. In the case of solving for the mass of an object we are not concerned with the restoring force of the spring, but the force that the mass has on the spring itself.
Considering the setup of any physics problem, specifically why is something negative or positive in your free body diagram, is always more important than just plugging and playing with the memorized equations in any study guide. It is always important to consider the entirety of the problem so you can arrive at a much more sensical answer.
Thank you for your continued support in reading my blog! More follow ups are coming from previous topics. As well, I recently was able to acquire a Solid State Physics text. My future blog posts will be featuring the fascinating physics of crystals! From metals, non-metals, and beyond.
More puns coming your way soon!
Best wishes,
Josh Lofy
Joshing With Physics 