StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Hookes Law Laboratory - Lab Report Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Hooke’s Law Laboratory" highlights that the potential sources of error in this experiment are due to the precision of the location measurement using the meter rule and the accuracy of the slotted masses used. The meter rule was mounted vertically and behind the spring. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.9% of users find it useful
Hookes Law Laboratory
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Hookes Law Laboratory"

A weight, W = mg, is hung from one end of an ordinary spring, causing it to stretch a distance x, then an equal and opposite force, F, is created in the spring which opposes the pull of the weight. If W is not so large as to permanently distort the spring, then this force, F, will restore the spring to its original length after the load is removed. The magnitude of this restoring force is directly proportional to the stretch in the relation below.

F = -kx

The constant k is called the spring constant. To emphasize that x refers to the change in length of the spring we write the relation as follows.

F = mg = - k ∆ l (1)

From the relation, it is evident that if a plot of F as a function of ∆ l has a linear proportion. This confirms that the spring conforms to Hooke's Law and enables us to find k mathematically. (Sears, 1981)

Thus we can assume an equation k = y = mx + c………equation 1

Objective

The objective of this experiment is to study the behavior of ordinary springs in static and dynamic situations. We will determine the spring constant, k, (K which is the stiffness of the spring), for an individual spring using both Hooke's Law and the properties of an oscillating spring system.

Apparatus

• 2 Extension Springs (long, short)
• Compression spring
• Load to be used for long springs
• 2 Long Screws
• 2 Short Screws

Experimental Setup

Procedure
1. Load a spring with different weights (5 different weights) and measure the displacement associated with each weight as shown in figure 1.
2. Repeat for different springs.
3. Document your readings and use them to derive a conclusion

Results
Table 1
Long Spring(5N - 9N)
F (N) 5 6 7 8 9
dX (mm) 4 6 13 20 25
dX (m) 0.004 0.006 0.013 0.02 0.025

Table 2
Short Spring (2.5N - 10N)
F (N) 2.5 3.5 5.5 7.5 10
dX (mm) 3 14 35 56 82
dX (m) 0.003 0.014 0.035 0.056 0.082

Table 3
Compression (0 -5N)
F (N) 1 2 3 4 5
dX (mm) 2 5 11 16 23
dX (m) 0.002 0.005 0.011 0.016 0.023

Figure 2 indicates that for forces greater than about 4.5N (notice intercept of best fit), there is a linear relation between force and extension. For small loads, such a relationship fails since the fit curve does not intercept the y-axis at zero. It is assumed that this is caused by an initial "set" in the spring which requires some initial load to overcome. This is apparent if one stretches the spring manually and then releases it. It seems to snap shut at the last moment.

For this reason, 0 and 4.5N were ignored and the rest of the data were treated by a least squares analysis to determine the coefficients of first-degree polynomial best fit.
These were used to plot the line on the graph. The slope of the line, ignoring loads of less than 4.5N, was found to be 147.36 N/m. From Equation 1, we see that we need to multiply this quantity by g to calculate a value for the spring constant of k = 217.4 ± 1.8 N/m.

Using the equation k=y=mx + c where m is the slope of the graph and c is the y-intercept. We find that;

k = 147.36N/m

A graph of force versus the magnitude of displacement resulted in the expected straight line in the range of forces examined and is consistent with Hooke’s law. The slope of this line, 147.36 N/m, is the spring constant, which agrees with the value found by taking the average of the calculated spring constant. The intercept for the best-fit straight line intersects close to the origin, which is also consistent with Hooke’s law.

The location was measured relative to the base of the mass hanger. The measurements are viewed directly; however, due to parallax, it is measured at a slight angle. However, this sighting was required for each measurement, and the displacement was the difference between the location and the reference. Thus, this systematic error from parallax should be minimized. Consequently, a motion sensor to measure distance would increase the precision for small displacements.

Conclusion

Ultimately Hooke’s law was verified as per the initial objective. The linear relationship between incremental loads against the extension of the spring is observed in figure 2. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Hooks law Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Hooks law Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/physics/1684380-hooks-law
(Hooks Law Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Hooks Law Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/physics/1684380-hooks-law.
“Hooks Law Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/physics/1684380-hooks-law.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Hookes Law Laboratory

Environmental Issues of Hooker Chemicals and Plastic Company

Philosophy Hooker Chemicals and Plastic Company is a California based oil and gas corporation.... The company is known to provide operations in United States, Middle East, North Africa and also in South America.... An issue was raised several years ago for causing damage to the area because of chemical contamination....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Computer forensics laboratory

COMPUTER FORENSICS laboratory.... Running Head: COMPUTER FORENSICS laboratory COMPUTER FORENSICS laboratory By Processes Involved in Computer Forensics laboratory Computer forensics is a discipline that integrates aspects of law and computer in the process of data collection and assessment from “computer systems, networks, wireless communications, and storage devices” in a manner that does not violate procedural laws on admissibility (US-CERT 2008)....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - Friend or Foe

From the paper "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - Friend or Foe" it is clear that having come together as a means of protecting the rights of animals to live unfettered lives free of unnecessary pain, PETA has managed to make a huge name for itself in a short space of time.... ... ... ...
17 Pages (4250 words) Essay

Harmonic Motion-Elastic spring

Physics laboratory experiments.... The theory underlying the phenomenon being studied here was that of Hooke's law for an elastic spring (Wilson & Hall, 2009).... To be able to achieve this goal, the researcher conducted 10 experiments with each experiment entailing the hanging of a different mass on the spring....
1 Pages (250 words) Lab Report

Molar Mass of a Volatile Gas

Chemical Principles in the laboratory, 10th ed.... The molar mass of the gas was then computed using the ideal gas law.... One other possibility that led to the disparities in the experimental molar mass of the unknown gas and the actual value was deviations from the ideal gas law.... It was possible that the gas did not behave as described by the ideal gas law hence leading to the disparities in the two values.... Overall, the experiment gave an estimation of the molar mass of the unknown gas using the ideal gas law....
2 Pages (500 words) Lab Report

Hookes Law Lab Analysis

Physics laboratory experiments.... Hooke's law asserts that the amount of deformation applied on an elastic object is proportional to the force act on it (Wilson & Hall, 2009).... This experiment proves whether the characteristics of rubber band make it Hooke's law lab Introduction The objective of the experiment was to investigate rubber bands follow Hooke's law.... Hooke's law asserts that the amount of deformation applied on an elastic object is proportional to the force act on it (Wilson & Hall, 2009)....
1 Pages (250 words) Lab Report

Torsion Lab Analysis

A torsion test is a form of practical and procedural laboratory task that is aimed at measuring any material's strength against maximum twisting forces.... This form of relationship was initially ascertained by Hooke's law which states that; stress and strain are directly proportional till the proportional or elastic limit is attained, whereby the tested objects will begin to elicit some stress signs (KEETON, 1975)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Lab Report

Structural Damage Detection Using Modal Strain Energy

"Structural Damage Detection Using Modal Strain Energy" paper argues that the deformation ability of a structure affected by the material length, cross-sectional area, and the type of the material.... Some of the applications of strain energy include the application in uniaxial loads and torsion loads....
10 Pages (2500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us