Physics Investigation on Hook's Law.

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Aim: The aim of my investigation is to find out if Hooke’s Law can be proved with a steal spring.

Equipment: Ruler, springs(x4), Base clamp, Weights (up 13N), boss clamp, goggles

Diagram:

Safety feature:

  • Pupils were not cramped together as they needed room to work.
  • Goggles were worn to prevent eyes from getting damaged.
  • People could not play with equipment.
  • People could not run around in the science laboratory.
  • Desks were cleared

There were not too many strict safety precautions used, as the only potential danger was if the spring snapped. 

Prediction: My prediction is that Hooke’s Law can be proved through a steel spring, as if the weight on the spring will increase so will the extension.                                                                                                                           Hooke’s Law found that extension is proportional to the downward force acting on the spring.  This tells me to find elastic limit when I am doing the experiment using the formula    f=ke, which will give me the spring constant.                                                                                                            I predict that the extension of the spring will be in steady steps up until the spring is stretched beyond the elastic limit. At that point the spring will have reached the point where Hooke’s law is no longer accurate.                                                                                                                I will do enough experiments to find and exceed the elastic limit. I predict I will need to take about 12 measurements. I will record the spring’s extension in mm. I predict the spring’s extension will increase in about 40mm each time, until the spring reaches its elastic limit.                                                                                                                             My predictions are based on Hooke’s Law, which basically says if you stretch something with a steadily increasing force, then the length will increase steadily too.                                                                                          I predict the results I gather are going to be reasonably reliable and accurate, also very close to the line of best fit.                                                                                      The key factors in my experiment are the weights and the spring. To get accurate results, I have to control these factors by putting on the weights gently on to the spring. Also not to vary the Newton weights, by adding them proportionally.  

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Method:      My method of experimentation will be to use a clamp stand and boss clamp to suspend a spring from. A second boss clamp will hold in place a metre rule starting from the bottom of the spring to measure extension in mm. I will then add weights to the spring and measure extension. As I am doing this, I will record my results in a table. I will continue to do the tests until the spring will not return to its original shape. To make the tests fair I will use the spring with same number of coils ...

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