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Hooke's Law Lab Report

Hooke's Law states that the restoring force (F) of an elastic object is proportional to and opposite in direction of the displacement (x) from the object's equilibrium position. This relationship can be expressed by the equation F=-kx, where k is the spring constant. The experiment tests Hooke's Law using a spring by measuring the displacement (stretch) of the spring (x) when different masses (F) are attached. A graph of force versus displacement should yield a straight line with slope k, confirming Hooke's Law holds for the spring. Students measure and record the stretch of the spring for different masses and construct a graph in Logger Pro to analyze the results.

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1K views

Hooke's Law Lab Report

Hooke's Law states that the restoring force (F) of an elastic object is proportional to and opposite in direction of the displacement (x) from the object's equilibrium position. This relationship can be expressed by the equation F=-kx, where k is the spring constant. The experiment tests Hooke's Law using a spring by measuring the displacement (stretch) of the spring (x) when different masses (F) are attached. A graph of force versus displacement should yield a straight line with slope k, confirming Hooke's Law holds for the spring. Students measure and record the stretch of the spring for different masses and construct a graph in Logger Pro to analyze the results.

Uploaded by

Özgür Sarımaden
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Hooke's Law

Research Instroduction
Firstly The elastic properties of matter are involved in many physical phenomena. When
matter is deformed (compressed, twisted, stretched, et cetera) and the deforming forces are
sufficiently small, the material will return to its original shape when the deforming forces are
removed.
In such cases, the deformation is said to take place within the elastic limit of the material, i.e.,
there is no permanent deformation. The slight stretching of a rubber band is an example of an
elastic deformation. Steel wires, concrete columns, metal beams and rods and other material
objects can also undergo elastic deformations. For many materials, it is approximately true
that when the material is stretched or compressed, the resisting or restoring force that tends to
return the material to its original shape is proportional to the amount of the deformation but
points in a direction opposite to the stretch or compression. This idealized behavior of matter
is called Hooke's Law. Todays lab will allow you to test the accuracy of Hookes law for a
simple object, a spring.

Simplified Theory
The Hookes Law theory is the statement that the restoring force acting on an object is
proportional to the negative of the displacement (deformation) of the object. In symbols,

F = -kx

The meaning of (F) is the restoring force provided by whatever is being stretched
(or squeezed),

The meaning of (x) is the displacement of the thing being stretched (or squeezed).

The meaning of (k) is the constant of proportionality.

The negative sign (-) is important and just says that the restoring force is opposite in direction
to the displacement. For example, if a spring is stretched by something in a certain direction,
the spring will exert a restoring force on that something but in the opposite direction.
Equation 1 also says that for an object which obeys Hookes law (such as a spring), the more
it is stretched or squeezed, the greater will be the restoring force supplied by the object on
whatever is doing the stretching or the squeezing.
An applied force (F) acting on our Hookean object will cause it to be displaced (stretched
or squeezed) by some amount (x).
The ratio of the change in applied force and the change in the resulting displacement is
called the spring constant (k) and can be written as follows: ( k = )

Todays experiment will test this relationship for a large spring. By hanging different masses
from the spring we can control the amount of force acting on it. We can then measure for each
applied weight the amount that the spring "stretches.
Since Equation (1) is the equation for a straight line, a graph of F (the weight) versus x (the
"stretch") will should yield a line with slope k . Equation (2) tells us the same thing and its
appearance should remind you of how to compute the slope of a straight line.

Procedure ( Method )

Install a table rod with a rod clamp near its top. Suspend a helical spring from the
clamp with the large end up.

Attach a 50 g weight hook with a 50 g slot mass on it to the spring. Record the initial
mass of 100 g as m1. The parameter m will represent the total mass on the spring.

Place the meter stick vertically alongside the hanging mass. Measure the elongation of
the spring and record it as x1. Always be sure to measure starting at the same place,
either on the table or on the clamp.

Add a 50 g slot mass to the hook and record m2 (150 g). Read the meter stick and
record x2. Repeat, finding x3 , x4 , x5 , and x6 with total masses 200 g, 250 g, 300 g,
and 350 g. Record all the masses and elongations on the form provided.

Chart:
1st Measurement of 2nd Measurement
3rd Measurement
Stretching(cm)
of Stretching(cm)
of Stretching(cm)
50g(1 uncertainty)
6
5
7
100g(1 uncertainty) 13
11
12
150g(2 uncertainty) 20
18
16
The uncertainty values above were found by the formula of (max-min)/2
Averaged(processed) values table:
Spring Stretching Amount(cm)
50g load
6
100 g load
12
150 g load
18

Graph ( Logger Pro ):

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