Module 2: Discussion -- Experiment to test Hooke\'s law Imagine an alternate uni

Question

Module 2: Discussion -- Experiment to test Hooke's law

Imagine an alternate universe in which Robert Hooke did not discover Hooke's Law. Moreover, imagine that somehow we have progressed to where we are today technology-wise without anyone else having discovered it either. There would be two key observations from pre-existing knowledge and preconceptions to draw on:

It requires more and more force the shorter a spring is compressed or longer it is stretched.

The shorter a spring is before it is allowed to uncompress, the larger the kinetic energy that it can impart to an object; that is, the more potential energy it can store.

In your first post of this discussion, please propose an experiment to test if either formula is correct. Describe the experiment briefly, being sure to include a list of equipment needed, what kind of measurements will be made, and how to analyze the data to compare with the applicable equation.  

If force is applied to a spring so that its elastic limit is exceeded, then the spring will no longer return to its original shape.

Equipment:Spring, ring stand, ring stand clamps, c clamp, spring scale, ruler or meter stick, set of known masses.

Assemble the apparatus as shown in the diagram. Be sure to clamp the ring stand to the lab table.

Construct a data table. You will need to record the mass that you hang from the spring and the position of the end of the spring before and after the mass is added. From this, you will calculate the force applied to the spring and the resulting stretch of the spring. You should allow for at least 8-10 trials. (A sample data table is shown below.)

For each trial, record the mass, the starting position of the spring (before hanging the mass) and the ending position of the spring (while it is being stretched)

With known masses and the distance you can verify Hooke's law. F=-k•d

For your second post, first consider the posts of your classmates and your instructor. Then, either (1) describe revisions to your own proposed experiment that you think are necessary or (2) identify a classmate's proposal that you think would work well and explain why.

Student 1:

For an experiment to test F=-k*d, we would need a spring, several objects with known mass and something to measure distance in cm.

1. Suspend the spring vertically, and attach an object with known mass to the bottom.

2. Let the object pull down on the spring, and measure the deformation in the spring

3. Record the mass of the object and the deformation of the spring, then repeat with other objects with different known masses.

We can calculate the force acting on the spring using the known mass of each object multiplied by acceleration due to gravity, F=ma. Then take each trial's Force and deformation values and find k, by using this equation: -k=F/d

This should result in a constant number (k) for each trial, proving the equation.

Student 2:

Stretch and Force on a Slinky Experiment:

The equipment needed is a large and small Slinky, rubber bands, meter stick, clamps, table, and stand. To set up for the experiment first, put a stand on a table and clamp it to the surface. Attach a meter stick to the stand to record readings. Attach a large Slinky to the top of the stand and attach a rubber band to the bottom of the Slinky. Stretch the Slinky to a constant distance along the meter stick and then release the Slinky. Record on a data table the starting point position of the Slinky, which should be constant for each trial. Also, record the stretch position of the Slinky, which will vary in each trial. Finally, record the total distance the Slinky retracts on your data table. Repeat this experiment process for the small Slinky as well. After you have recorded all of your data, then calculate the force that is exerted by the Slinky. This can be done by multiplying the stretch position (-k) times the total distance (d) = F (Force).

Explanation / Answer

The first approach with the attacheed drawing is perfect with a certain revisions in the procedure.

The first set of procedure doesn't throw light on how to measure the force the spring exert when the masses are hang on the spring . This can be done by suspending the spring vertically and letting the mass hang at rest. When the object pulls down on the spring, we can measure the initial and final distances and hence the net deformation of the spring. We can calculate the force on the spring by using the formula mg basically multiplying the masses with the acceleration due to gravity(g) and hence k=mg/d for different masses.Repeat the experiment for a large number of times. We can also reduce the error by repeating the experiment a large number of times.

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