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Unit 7 Hooke's Law Lab

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Unit 7 Hooke’s Law

Introduction

This lab will test the relationship between the spring constant, k, from Hooke’s Law and the change in applied force resulting in displacement. Using two different methods, part one and two of the lab will determine the spring constant, k. In part one we will hang different masses from the spring so that we can alter the amount of force acting on it. After applying these weights, one can measure the displacement caused by this action. Hooke’s equation will yield a straight line graph of F (weight) versus x (displacement). The slope of the graph will yield the spring constant, k. In part two we will be using the oscillation of the mass on the spring as an example of SMH. By graphing the oscillation, we can…show more content…
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(|Actual-Experimental|)/(Actual ) x 100

Procedure

Part 1: Determine Spring constant using Hooke’s Law.

Initial Setup Start the computer and start the data studio program. Select Open Activity. From the mechanic’s folder, open the file “Hooke’s Law”. Examine the apparatus. The top measurement device is the force sensor and will be connected into A analog input of the Science Workshop interface. The bottom sensor is a motion sensor and will be connected into input 1 and 2, with the yellow plug connected into input. Suspend the spring from the hook on the force sensor. Suspend a mass hanger from the other end of the spring.

Calibrating the Sensors
First the Force Sensor On the side of the sensor is a button labeled TARE. Press the button; this will zero the force sensor, thereby negating the force contributed by the spring and mass hanger.
Now for the Motion Sensor Click the Start button. Click the Keep button five times, then click the red box to stop the data run. Locate the Table window at the bottom of the display. The mean value for the distance from the sensor to the bottom of the hanger is…show more content…
From the File Menu, select Open Activity and open the file simple harmonic motion. [The files are located inside “My documents”, “Mechanics”].

Calibrate the Sensor
In this part, only the motion sensor is acquiring data. The force sensor functions solely to provide a means to suspend the spring and mass. With the spring-mass system stationary, select Start. Data will be taken for 5 seconds, then stop automatically. The graph is displayed in the Simple Harmonic Motion graph window should not have large spikes. If it does, repeat until a spike free graph is obtained. The Table window will display the mean value for the distance from the bottom of the weight hanger to the motion sensor. In the Data Panel, double click on the pos=x-equilibrium icon. Enter the mean value into the box for the equilibrium value. Click the lower Accept button and verify that the value for equilibrium is equal to what was entered. Close the window.
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