6/26/2019 Verification of Hookes Law | Physics Astronomy Project Topics

VERIFICATION OF HOOKE’S LAW

Abstract
Hooke's law is a law of physics that states that the force (F) needed to extend or
compress a spring by some distance x scales linearly with respect to that distance.
That is: F = kdx, where k is a constant factor characteristic of the spring: its stiffness,
and x is small compared to the total possible deformation of the spring. The law is
named after 17th-century British physicist Robert Hooke. He first stated the law in
1676 as a Latin anagram. He published the solution of his anagram in 1678 as: ut
tensio, sic vis ("as the extension, so the force" or "the extension is proportional to
the force"). Hooke states in the 1678 work that he was aware of the law already in
1660.

Hooke's equation holds (to some extent) in many other situations where an elastic
body is deformed, such as wind blowing on a tall building, a musician plucking a
string of a guitar, and the filling of a party balloon. An elastic body or material for
which this equation can be assumed is said to be linear-elastic or Hookean.

Hooke's law is only a first-order linear approximation to the real response of springs
and other elastic bodies to applied forces. It must eventually fail once the forces
exceed some limit, since no material can be compressed beyond a certain
minimum size, or stretched beyond a maximum size, without some permanent
deformation or change of state. Many materials will noticeably deviate from Hooke's
law well before those elastic limits are reached.

Objective
In this experiment, we will study the elastic properties of a spring and of a rubber
band and we will measure how closely they follow Hooke’s Law. Our present
interest is in whether or not the data will fit on a linear trend line. A good fit indicates
that the object (spring or rubber band) obeys Hooke’s Law. Hooke’s Law states that
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the restoring force is a linear function of the displacement from equilibrium.

Theory
To deform a material requires the application of a force. Some materials deform
more easily than others. Materials that return to their original dimensions after the
deforming force has been removed are called elastic. All materials exhibit some
degree of elasticity but not always in sufficient quantity to be useful from a practical
6/26/2019 Verification of Hookes Law | Physics Astronomy Project Topics

sense. The elasticity property makes its presence known through a restoring force
that opposes the deformation force and tries to maintain the original dimensions of
the material. We will be considering elasticity in only one dimension. The restoring
force is proportional to the magnitude of the deformation. This can be expressed in
an equation known as Hooke’s Law after the discoverer of the effect, Robert Hooke.

F = - kx Equation 1

The variable X represents the magnitude of the distortion or displacement from

equilibrium as exhibited in the stretching of a spring or rubber band. The factor k is
the proportionality constant and the minus sign indicates that the direction of the
force is in the direction opposite that of the displacement, i.e. it is a restoring force.

Materials Required:
• Slotted weights
• Balance

• Coil spring

• Weight hanger

• Rod & Table

• Clamp

• Rubber band

• Meter stick

• Spring Clamp

Procedure:
I. The Spring
a. Mount the spring so that it hangs vertically with the small end up. Attach a 50 g
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mass to the hanger. This separates the coils and is your “zero” load. DO NOT
COUNT THIS 50g OR THE WEIGHT HANGER AS PART OF THE “LOAD.” This is
the one lab where you can neglect the mass of the weight hanger.

b. Mount the meter stick vertically in its holder with the numbers increasing towards
the floor and place the meter stick on the floor. Adjust the clamp holding the spring
so that the bottom of the weight hanger is sufficiently high off the ground when the
heaviest load was applied. The meter stick reading that is aligned with the bottom of
6/26/2019 Verification of Hookes Law | Physics Astronomy Project Topics

the weight hanger (with the 50g “zero” load) is your Reference Point – record the
value below in the Data Table.

Now, add mass to the weight hanger, in multiples of 50 g units, until you have
added 300 g. Record the meter stick reading of the bottom of the weight hanger
after each mass has been added. Calculate the amount of stretch by subtracting the
Reference Point value from your meter stick reading. Record this Stretch value in
the Data Table below.

c. After all the masses have been added, remove them 100 grams at a time and
record the meter stick readings after each change as before. This is done as a quick
check on the repeatability of your data and to ensure that your Reference Point has
not shifted.

II. The Rubber Band

a. Now, mount the rubber band in place of the spring and repeat the above experiment.
Steps Ia. through Id.

CAUTION:
• Do not stretch the rubber band with your
https://www.seminarsonly.com/Engineering-Projects/Physics/hookes-law.php hands before the experiment.

• Do not allow the hanger to oscillate, but hold it in position with your hand while the load
is being changed.

Observations:
1. Construct a graph of Load vs. Stretch for the Spring
Choose the best-fit trend line. Determine the equation of the line and its correlation
6/26/2019 Verification of Hookes Law | Physics Astronomy Project Topics

coefficient. Analyze your graph.

• Does the Spring obey Hooke’s Law?.

• What characteristic of its Load vs. Stretch graph tells you this?

2. Construct a graph of Load vs. Stretch for the Rubber Band.

Choose the best-fit trend line. Determine the equation of the line and its correlation
coefficient. Analyze your graph

• Does the Rubber Band obey Hooke’s Law?

• What characteristic of its Load vs. Stretch graph tells you this?

Result:
Reference Point - Spring (RPS): ___________(cm) - for “zero” load
Reference Point – Rubber Band (RPR): ___________(cm) - for “zero” load
References
https://www.seminarsonly.com/Engineering-Projects/Physics/hookes-law.php

1. http://www.tutorvista.com/content/science/science-ii/magnetic-effects-electric-
current/force-current-carrying-conductor.php
2. http://gradestack.com/CBSE-Class-10th-Course/Magnetic-Effects-of/Force-on-a-
Current-/15035-2998-4742-study-wtw

3. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/forwir2.html
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