Physics

I'm writing a prac report, and I just need something clarified. The experiment was different masses were attached on a hanging spring, then it had to be pulled down a certain distance, then find the period by finding the time fo each oscillation for each mass. The problem is that when I did the experiment, i didn't pull the down the spring the same distance for each mass. And my calculations for the spring constant using Hooke's Law (the slope of the graph of T vs sqrt M) turned out to be 60 N/m, while many other people got 13-14 N/m. Could this have been due to the different distances pulled for each mass?

Answers

Yes, it is possible that your results differ from the expected results due to the different distances pulled for each mass. Hooke's Law states that the force (F) is proportional to the extension (x) of the spring, meaning that if the extension (x) of the spring changes, the force (F) will also change. Consequently, if you pull the spring down a greater distance for each mass, then this will increase the extension (x) of the spring and therefore increase the force (F) required to hold the mass in the same position. This increase in force (F) will result in a higher spring constant (k). Therefore, if the distance pulled was not consistent for each mass, then this would explain why your calculated spring constant (k) was different than expected.

Answered by walterschristina

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