Experiment 14

Experiment 14: Hookes Law and Simple Harmonic

Motion
Purpose
(1) To study Hookes Law for an elastic spring
(2) To study Simple Harmonic Motion of a mass suspended from an elastic spring
Apparatus
Helical steel spring with supporting stand and scale set of slotted weights with hanger
timer la!oratory !alance"
Theor: Hookes Law
# spring e$erts a force which is gi%en !y Hookes Law&
1 !
s
" # kx
where $ is the amount of displacement from the e'uili!rium position" The negati%e sign in this
e'uation shows that the springs force is opposite to $" (f the spring is stretched ($ is positi%e)
then the spring pulls !ack" (f the spring is compressed ($ is negati%e) the spring pushes" The
parameter k is the spring constant and is a property of the spring" (t is different for different
springs"
#n elastic spring su!)ected to a stretching force of magnitude * will !e stretched from its
e'uili!rium position !y an amount $ gi%en !y Hookes Law until the spring force which pulls
!ack when the spring is stretched !alances the stretching force"

67
Experiment 14
(f you hang your spring on the supporting stand (*igure 1) it will !e at its unstretched
length" Hanging a slotted weight of mass m
load
on it will su!)ect it to the force of gra%ity on the
slotted weight *+ m
load
g" This will cause the spring to stretch a distance $ from its e'uili!rium
position according to Hookes Law until *
s
+ m
load
g"
Simple Harmonic Motion $SHM%
(f a spring with a weight hanging on it is gi%en an additional displacement of magnitude a
(*ig" 2) and released it will undergo Simple Harmonic Motion" (n simple harmonic motion a
spring

will oscillate up and down with an amplitude a and a period T" The minus sign in Hookes Law
tells us why this happens" ,hen the spring is stretched downward it pulls upwards and then
!ecomes compressed" ,hen it is compressed it pushes downward and then !ecomes stretched
and so on" The e'uation for period T is&
& T " & M
e''
k
where M
eff
is the -effecti%e mass. + M
load
/ 101 M
spring
" This correction follows from a more
accurate theory"
68
Experiment 14
Procedure Part ( # Testin) Hookes Law:
1" Measure and record the mass m
hanger
of the hanger the mass m
spring
of your spring"
2" #d)ust the scale so that the pointer on the hanger is near the upper end of the scale when the
hanger is unloaded" 2ecord its position as S
o
and prepare a ta!le on your data sheet&
m
weights
m
load
+ m
weights
/ m
hanger
Scale 2eading S
(cm)
The units of the scale are centimeters"
1" Load the hanger !y m + 34 grams" 2ecord the scale reading S" 5eep increasing the load !y
suita!le increments (they need not !e e'ual) to o!tain 6 data points !efore the lower end of the
scale is reached" 2ecord all data"
7#8T(9:& ;o not stretch the spring e$cessi%ely" <ou may damage it !y deforming it
permanently"
=" 2e%erse the process !y unloading the same loads as in (1)" #gain record S for each load"
Procedure Part (( # Stud o' Simple Harmonic Motion:
1" >repare a ta!le&
m
weights
m
load
+ m
weights
/ m
hanger
: t
:
T+t
:
0: m
eff
k
a%erage
2" Load the hanger with m + 244 g and set the suspended mass into oscillation (as in *ig" 2(!))
with an amplitude of roughly 1 cm" Measure the time t
:
for : + 144 complete cycles"
2emem!er that in a complete cycle the mass starts in the original position and goes !ack to the
original position i"e" from the top of the cycle down to the !ottom and !ack to the top of the
cycle"
69
Experiment 14
1" 2epeat (2) with an amplitude of a!out 2 cm and a %alue of : !etween ?4@114"
=" 2epeat (1) and (2) with m + 234g"
3" 2epeat (1) and (2) with m + 144g"
La* +eport Part (
Theory& (n e'uation 1 a!o%e $ represents the amount the spring stretched + (S @ S
o
)"
<ou can calculate the spring constant k from your data using e'uation 1 &
*
s
+ k (S @ S
o
)
Since the spring force e$actly !alances the weight of the mass m
load
g we can write&
m
load
g + k (S @ S
o
) + k S @ k S
o
Sol%ing for s we find
S + (g0k) m
load
/ S
o
This shows a linear relationship !etween m and s with the slope + g0k and the y intercept of S
o
"
*or a plot of S %s m
slope + S0m
load
+ g0k
k + g 0 slope
1" >lot S %s m
load
for all your data points (some points may !e on top of each other)" La!el all
a$es and write the units"

7alculate the slope + s0m (dont forget the units)" Then calculate k using the e'uation
k + g 0 slope" ,hat are the units of kA (2emem!er g + ?64 cm0sec
2
)
70
Experiment 14
Buestion C1 ,hat is the purpose of measuring S !oth when loading and unloading" ,hat is your
conclusion of this effect !ased on your dataA
Buestion C2 *rom looking at your graph can you claim that you %erified Hookes LawA D$plain
your reasoning"
La* +eport Part ((
Theory: <ou can calculate k for all runs from this data using the e'uation for the period T&

k
m
2
eff
T =
S'uaring !oth sides and sol%ing for k" we find&
2 *ind the a%erage %alue of k for >art (( using D'uation 1" 2emem!er to write all units"
Buestion C1 ;id you %erify that the period of SHM is independent of amplitudeA D$plain"
,onclusion
1 7ompare your results from >art ( to your a%erage results from >art (( !y calculating the
discrepancy as follows&
k (>art () E k (>art (()
144F
"3Gk (>art () / k (>art (()

,hat are some reasons for the discrepancyA
71
2
2
T
m =H
k 1
eff
=