Periodic & Circular Motion: Hooke's Law
Discover the relationship of the force applied to a spring and the distance that the spring is stretched.
Constructing their own graph helps studetns cement the relationship between force and distance.
Force is measured electronically while students measure the stretch of the spring with the meter stick.
Lab Summary
This classic investigation of force is foundational to later investigations such as harmonic motion. In this new twist, your students measure the applied force directly and plot that force versus the distance the spring is stretched.
Because they are constructing a table and graph together electronically, they develop an intimate understanding of the relationship between the two visualizations, and they have the time to measure and plot the graph of several different springs in a class period.
Theory
When a force is applied to an elastic material, it is stretched a certain amount. Additional force produces additional elongation, following a linear pattern. Using a Force Sensor and a meterstick the Hooke's constant for a given spring can be determined using a few measurements.
Downloads
- Download Free Lab (PDF, 304 KB) (300 KB, .pdf)
(student version)
Method
Use a Force Sensor to measure the force needed to stretch a spring over a measured distance.
Here's What You Need
U.S. Educator prices shown.
Probeware
PASPORT Force Sensor (PS-2104) - $110
Designed to measure both pulling and pushing forces. Uses range from collisions to tug-of-war. For use with PASPORT Interfaces.
Xplorer GLX (PS-2002) - $349
The Xplorer GLX is a data collection, graphing, and analysis tool designed for science students and educators.
Other Products
Double Rod Clamp (3 pack) (ME-9873) - $18
Clamp holds two rods either parallel or perpendicular to one another.
Equal Length Spring Set (ME-8970) - $39
These springs appear to be the same except for their colors. But, when equal masses are hung on them, each stretches a different amount.
Four Scale Meter Stick (SE-8695) - $13
A convenient measuring device that includes four different metric scales of various precision.
Lab Manual
This activity is included in Physics with the Xplorer GLX (PS-2826), complete with Teacher Information pages, student instructions and handouts, and sample data for a total of 35 probeware-based labs. For your convenience, we offer bundles which provide the probeware necessary for the activities in the manual. For more information on these resources and bundles, click here.
