Periodic & Circular Motion: Hooke's Law

Discover the relationship of the force applied to a spring and the distance that the spring is stretched.

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.

Download Free Lab  (PDF, 304 KB)

(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:

Probeware

• PASPORT Force Sensor (PS-2104)
• Xplorer GLX Graphing Datalogger (PS-2002)
  (or alternate PASPORT interface -- see other options)

Other Materials

• Large Base and Support Rod (ME-9355)
• Rod, 45 cm (18") Stainless Steel, 1/2" dia. (ME-8736)
• Double Rod Clamp (3 pack) (ME-9873)
• Equal Length Spring Set (ME-8970)
• Hooked Mass Set (SE-8759)
• Four-Scale Meter Stick (SE-8695)

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.