We are aiming to investigate the effect of force upon a spring. We will also investigate Hooke's law, to see what happens using two springs in parallel and series, and how this effects the spring constant.

Authors Avatar

Philip Harford 10O

Investigation  - Hooke’s Law

Aim:        We are aiming to investigate the effect of force upon a spring.  We will also investigate Hooke’s law, to see what happens using two springs in parallel and series, and how this effects the spring constant.

Background:        I know that Hooke’s law states that spring extension is proportional to stretching force, so long as the spring was not permanently stretched. In this investigation we will explore this statement.    

Trial Run:        We did a trial run before starting the main experiment, and we found that we had to carefully put the weights on to the hanger, as the spring quickly stretches and could break.  We also had to make sure we took the measurements at the same place each time, i.e. at the bottom of the spring or the bottom of the hanger, as this could affect our results.  We also found that the spring could take 10N without deforming.

Prediction:        From the scientific knowledge above I can make a prediction about this experiment.  I predict that the extension of the spring will be proportional to the force applied to it, and that it will return to its original size when the force is released.  When we have two springs in parallel I predict the force will have an effect on them as a whole, and they won’t stretch as much as the single spring, so the spring constant will increase.  When two springs are in series I predict the force will have a separate effect on each, so stretch will increase and the spring constant will decrease.  I also predict that if the spring(s) pass their elastic limit, they will not return to their original size.

Join now!

Method:        We are going to set up a retort stand and clamp on the edge of a desk with a  G – clamp to hold the stand in place.  Then we will place a ruler in the retort clamp and attach a spring to the end of the clamp.  We  will measure the spring with the ruler to gain a starting point.  Then we will attach a 1 Newton weight (hanger) to the spring, and measure the extension of the spring on the ruler.  Once we subtract the starting point we will have a measurement for the extension of the ...

This is a preview of the whole essay