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1 - Science of Physics
2 - Forces and Motion      Chapter 2 at a glance      2.1 - Motion      2.2 - Force, momentum, and Newton's laws      2.3 - Circular motion      2.4 - Solving harder physics problems      2.5 - Chapter review3 - Energy Transformations4 - Waves and Sound
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10 - Forces
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13 - Torque and Static Equilibrium
14 - Momentum and Collisions
15 - Angular momentum
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22 - Electromagnetism and Induction
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29 - The Quantum Theory
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55 - Modeling Motion, Friction, and Center of Mass
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2C: Hooke's law
How are force and displacement related when stretching a spring?
Springs are seemingly simple devices that are found inside many different everyday items, from automatic door closers to car suspensions. Stretch a spring and it exerts a force that tends to restore the spring back to its equilibrium length. The physics underlying the spring is a straight-forward relationship between how much the spring is extended (or compressed) and the restoring force the spring exerts, an equation known as Hooke's law. In this investigation, you will explore Hooke's law and determine the difference between a stiff and a loose spring.
Part 1: Extension and restoring force of a spring

Diagram of equipment for the investigation
  1. Set up the equipment as in the diagram using the looser spring.
  2. On the paper mark the equilibrium position at the bottom edge of the mass.
  3. Hang the spring scale under the mass. Now mark the bottom edge of the mass as "0 N."
  4. Pull down the spring scale by 1 N to extend the spring and mark the new location of the end of the spring on the paper, with a label “1 N.”
  5. Pull down the spring for forces of 2, 3, 4, and 5 N each time marking the position of the end of the spring on the paper and labeling each mark with the force.
  6. Remove the paper and measure the distance (Δx, in meters) of each point from the equilibrium position. Record you data.
  7. Graph your data. Graph displacement Δx on the horizontal axis and force F on the vertical axis. Draw a straight best-fit line through your data points.
  1. What is the slope of your graph? (Include units in your answer)
  2. What physical quantity is represented by the slope of your graph? Why?
Part 2: Stiff and loose springs

How to make the measurements Now substitute a “stiff” spring for the “loose” one.
  1. Substitute the loose spring for the stiffer one. Then set up the experiment as before.
  2. Repeat the steps of stretching the spring scale to different forces and record your data.
  1. When you stretch the stiff spring by hand, how does it feel or respond that is different from the loose spring?
  2. How does the extension of the stiff spring compare to that of the loose one for the same applied force?

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