Experiment

From WikiEducator
Jump to: navigation, search



Measurements


Icon activity.jpg Activity
The goal of this activity is to determine the spring constant for Spring #1 and learn a bit about Hooke's Law along the way. The activity is broken into three parts. In the first part of the group activity you will measure the displacement of the bottom of Spring #1 when a mass is attached to it. Once you have your measurements, you will record the values in a group data table. In the last part you will analyze the results of the group. Any time you need help click on the green "Show Help" button in the simulation.


  1. Make a data table in your notebook or text document with headings called mass, weight, and displacement assuming that each group member will measure at least one mass.
  2. Move the reference line so that it is at the bottom of Spring #1.
  3. Hang a mass on Spring #1.
  4. Record the mass in your data table.
  5. When the mass has come to rest measure the displacement of the bottom of the spring with the ruler.
  6. Record the displacement in your data table. Make sure to record the units.
  7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 with a different mass or masses.


<flash>file=MassSpringLab2-rjk-random.swf|width=90%|height=500|bgcolor=#ffffff;|flashvars=?randomIndex=C|quality=best</flash>