Using a spring attached to a vertical support, develop an experimental procedure

Question

Using a spring attached to a vertical support, develop an experimental procedure to determine the spring constant for the spring hanging from the vertical support using a spring, a set of weights with hangers, and a motion sensor. Your method should stretch the spring by no more than 5 centimeters. Describe this method in detail. Because this is being determined from experimental data, which strategies or approaches will you use to get the most accurate value possible for this particular spring's spring constant? Explain your reasoning explicitly. Do not assume your instructor knows anything. Every spring has a spring constant (k). The spring constant is determined by dividing the magnitude of the force that causes an expansion of the spring by the amount that the spring expands. k = delta F/d.

Explanation / Answer

1) Restoring Force developed in spring , F

=>   F = - k * x

where, k = spring constant

            x = amount to which spring elongated

2)    Hooke's Law states that the restoring force of a spring is directly proportional to a small displacement.

Displacement is measured in centimeters. Each of the weights has a mass of 50 grams. The downward pull of gravity is balanced by the upward pull of the spring.

This equilibrium can be expressed as : W = kx

W is the weight of the added mass. Therefore, the spring constant k is the slope of the straight line W versus x plot.

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