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The Spring Constant of A Spring

The document describes an experiment to determine the spring constant of a spring graphically. Various masses were placed on the spring and the displacements were recorded. A graph of force vs. stretch was plotted, and the slope of the line gave the spring constant of 0.7 N/m. This spring constant was then used to calculate the masses of two unknown objects based on their displacements of the spring. The main source of error was inaccurately reading the stretched length of the spring.

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Bridgit mueni
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152 views

The Spring Constant of A Spring

The document describes an experiment to determine the spring constant of a spring graphically. Various masses were placed on the spring and the displacements were recorded. A graph of force vs. stretch was plotted, and the slope of the line gave the spring constant of 0.7 N/m. This spring constant was then used to calculate the masses of two unknown objects based on their displacements of the spring. The main source of error was inaccurately reading the stretched length of the spring.

Uploaded by

Bridgit mueni
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The spring constant of a spring

Name

Instructor

Course

June 15, 2022


Introduction

Hooke’s Law states that the force required for extending or compressing a spring is directly

proportional to the distance that the string stretches. It is expressed as F=Kx, where k is the

spring constant, x is the extension while F is the applied force (Rychlewski, 2020). The spring

constant of a spring can be measured graphically. The slope of a graph of Force against length or

stretch gives the spring constant. The period of oscillation of a spring could also be used to

calculate the spring constant. The aim of this lab is to determine the spring constant of a spring

graphically.

Experimental details

The “lab” section of the simulation was used to conduct the experiment. After clicking the lab

section, “movable line,” “mass equilibrium,” and “displacement” boxes were selected. “Earth”

was selected to use the correct value of gravity. The damping scale was moved to “Lots”

extreme. The “spring constant” scale was selected to the middle. The first mass was placed on

the spring, and the play button was clicked to start the experiment. A ruler was used to measure

the displacement of the spring. The first mass was then changed to other four values, and the

corresponding lengths were recorded in a table. A graph of force against stretch of the spring was

plotted in excel. The mass of the remaining objects was then determined using the calculated

value of spring constant.


Spring displacement for a mass of 150 g

Spring displacement for a mass of 100 g


Spring displacement for the unknown mass

Results
The following table shows values of force against stretch in m

Force (N) Stretch (m)


1.0 1.5
1.5 2.2
2.0 3.0
2.5 3.6
Conversion of mass to force or weight:

F=mg

100
¿ ×9.8=1 N
1000

150
¿ ×9.8=1.5 N
1000

200
¿ ×9.8=2 N
1000

250
¿ ×9.8=2.5 N
1000

A graph of force against stretch was generated as follows:


force v stretch
3

2.5
f(x) = 0.702274975272008 x − 0.0583580613254204
2
force (N)

1.5

0.5

0
1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
stretch (m)

The slope of the graph was:

∆y 2−1 1
slope= = = =0.7
∆ x 3−1.5 1.5

The value of the spring constant was; therefore, 0.7

The blue object resulted into a spring stretch of 3.4 m

The red object resulted into a spring stretch of 5.3 m

From F=KX,

F=0.7 ×3.4=2.38 N

F=0.7 ×5.3=3.71 N

MASS OF THE BLUE OBJECT

Mass=weight/gravity

2.38 N
¿ 2
× 1000=242.85 g
9.81 m/ s
MASS OF THE RED OBJECT

3.71 N
¿ × 1000=378.57 g
9.81 m/ s2

The main cause of error was reading the stretch of the spring. The stretched length was not read

accurately. The meter rule scale should have been read accurately to record the precise lengths in

the table.

Discussion

The spring constant of a spring could be determined by placing objects with different masses on

the spring. After placing the objects on the spring, one should measure the stretched length of the

spring. The spring constant is determined graphically by plotting weight in the y-axis and

stretched length of the spring in the x-axis (Böhlke et al., 2021). It is important to read the meter

scale rule at eye level to record precise readings of various lengths.

Conclusion

The stretched length of a spring increases as the stretching force increases. The graph of force

against length shows that force is directly proportional to length. The gradient of the graph gives

the spring constant. One should be careful when placing objects on springs because of the limit

of proportionality. The springs could break when large forces are attached.
REFERENCES

Böhlke, T., & Brüggemann, C. (2021). Graphical representation of the generalized Hooke’s

law. Technische Mechanik, 21(2), 145-158.

Rychlewski, J. (2020). On Hooke's law. Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, 48(3),

303-314.

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