UIC Physics Department Physics 141 Laboratory Manual

Hooke’s Law and Simple Harmonic Motion

Most systems that exhibit elastic behavior can, to a very good approximation for small perturbations, be
described by Hooke’s Law. The list of such systems is very large and diverse: an elastic pendulum, a car
when it hits a bump, atoms in a molecule, the quartz crystal in a watch, electrons in the antenna of a cell
phone, etc. Therefore, the simple example of a mass attached to a spring can serve to illustrate processes
that occur in more complex systems.
The purpose of this lab experiment is to study the behavior of a spring under static and dynamic conditions
to observe Hooke’s Law and Simple Harmonic Motion respectively.

Objectives
 Determine the spring constant k of a spring by measuring the elongation versus applied force.
 Investigate the dependence of the period of oscillation on both the amplitude of motion and the
effective mass of the system.
 Determine the spring constant k from measurements of the period of oscillation, T, for different
values of mass.

Introduction

A Spring

A spring, when stretched or compressed, exerts a force on whatever is deforming the spring according to
Newton’s Third Law. Over a limited range of stretching and compression, the force exerted by a spring is
directly proportional to the distance x the spring is stretched or compressed.

When this direct proportionality holds, the spring is said to obey Hooke’s Law:

𝐹 𝑘∆𝑥 1

where k is the spring constant, a characteristic of the “stiffness” of the spring and ∆𝑥 is the displacement
or change in length. Its SI unit is Newton per meter N/m . In Eq. 1 , the negative sign indicates that the
spring force acts opposite to the direction of the stretch or compression . Thus, if the mass has a positive
displacement, then the force exerted by the spring is acting in the negative direction and vice versa. To
verify the proportionality expressed in Hooke’s Law, it must be shown that a graph of the 𝐹 versus 𝑥 is a
straight line passing through origin. Then the slope of the line is equal to the spring constant.

For a spring with tightly wound coils like the spring that will be used in this experiment, the 𝐹 vs. ∆𝑥 graph
may not be linear for small displacements. This is because the coils stick together, and extra force needs to
be applied to spread out the stacked coils.

To do that, a mass m0 needs to be added to the spring to produce just enough force to spread out the coils.

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The equilibrium position 𝑥 must then be defined at the point where Figure 1
the coils are slightly separated, and not the initial unstretched length
of the spring. see Figure 1 . This mass needs to always be attached
to the spring during the experiment and its value should not be used
in any calculations.

Therefore, when a mass m is added to a spring and this mass is

stationary, the weight of the mass balances the spring force, i.e.

𝑚𝑔 𝑘∆𝑥 2

where ∆𝑥 𝑥 𝑥 is the elongation of the spring and 𝑔 is the

acceleration due to gravity.

The relationship in Eq. 2 allows us to determine the spring

constant k when m, 𝑔, and ∆𝑥 are known or can be measured.

Simple Harmonic Motion

If the hanging mass is displaced from the equilibrium position and released, then simple harmonic motion
SHM will occur. Simple harmonic motion is a special type of periodic motion, which is when an object
will repeatedly follow the same trajectory and periodically return to its initial state as well as all others .
By state, we mean the combination of position and velocity. Each round trip from any state back to the
same state is called a cycle, and the amount of time it takes the object to complete one cycle is called the
period, T. The period is the same for each cycle for an object in periodic motion and is also independent of
the state used to define it. The reciprocal of the period is frequency, f, the number of cycles per unit time

𝑓 3

The SI unit of the period is a second s and the unit of the frequency is Hertz, or s1.

If an object or system is in the vicinity of its equilibrium position and experiences a restoring force which
is proportional to its displacement - but is otherwise free to move – then it will undergo simple harmonic
motion. SHM is a subset of periodic motion that displays additional properties; one such property we will
demonstrate is that the period is independent of the amplitude A, defined as the distance at maximum
displacement from equilibrium.

For our system of a mass on a spring, the above can be summarized as follows:

 The spring force or restoring force must be proportional to the displacement, but in the opposite
direction.
 The period of the oscillation must be independent of amplitude. In other words, no matter how far
away an object is displaced, it always takes the same amount of time to make one cycle.

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One can show that when an object is in SHM the net force exerted on it is a restoring force:

𝐹 𝑚𝑎 𝑘∆𝑥 4

and the object’s position, velocity and acceleration are all sinusoidal functions of time:
∆𝑥 𝐴 cos 𝜔𝑡 5
𝑣 𝐴𝜔 sin 𝜔𝑡 6
𝑎 𝐴𝜔 cos 𝜔𝑡 7
where A is the amplitude of oscillation and 𝜔 is the angular frequency which is related to the period
according to the following expression:
𝜔 8

The SI unit of angular frequency is radians per second rad/s . The term ‘Harmonic’ in SHM refers to the
ability to describe its behavior using these sinusoidal functions.

By substituting Eqs. 5 and 7 into 4 the expression for the angular frequency can be obtained in terms
of oscillating mass m and spring constant k as

𝜔 9

If the mass of the spring cannot be neglected because it is comparable to of the same order as the masses
used, it can be proved that the “effective” mass of the spring-mass system is given by

𝑚 𝑚 𝑚 10

where 𝑚 is the mass of the spring. This is the mass we will used in any oscillation experiments. Then,
from Eqs. 8 - 10 it follows that the square of the period of oscillation is given by

𝑇 𝑚 11

i.e. is directly proportional to the effective mass and does not depend on the amplitude of the oscillation,
A. Therefore, in order to prove these statements experimentally it must be demonstrated that the T2 versus
𝑚 graph is a straight line through the origin whose slope is inversely proportional to the spring constant.
Thus, the spring constant can be calculated from the slope.
Also, rearranging the above equation shows that by measuring the period of oscillation for a given mass m,
the spring constant can be found as

𝑘 12

We will attempt both methods and compare the results.

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Equipment
Figure 2
 A lab stand with a 70 cm measuring stick attached to stand
vertically.
 Set of springs and an index card indicating relaxed length and mass
of each spring.
 50g, 100g and 200g hanging weights for red, blue and green spring,
respectively, for spreading out the stacked coils of the springs.
 Hooked weight set.
 Stopwatch

 Triple-beam balance

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Hooke’s Law and Simple Harmonic Motion

Experimental Procedure and Data Analysis

Lab Section Day & Time : ________________________________

Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Station#: ____________

Partner: ______________________________________________________________________
Table 1
Table 1 lists masses that can be used as the mass m0 Red Blue Green
for spreading out the stacked coils of the spring. Mass
Spring Spring Spring
Table 2 lists recommended masses that can be used m0 kg 0.05 0.10 0.20
for the spring chosen for this experiment.
Please take the following precaution in conducting Table 2
this experiment:   Red Blue Green
Mass
Never hang a total of more than 200 grams from red Spring Spring Spring
spring, 300 grams from blue spring, or 500 grams m1 kg 0.05 0.05 0.10
from green spring, or else the spring may be
permanently deformed, i.e. damaged. m2 kg 0.07 0.07 0.15

1. Select a spring and then use the triple-beam m3 kg 0.10 0.10 0.20
balance and ruler to measure its mass, 𝑚 , and m4 kg 0.12 0.15 0.25
relaxed length, ℓ . Record the spring’s color, relaxed
length ℓ , the spring’s mass 𝑚 and mass m0 in the m5 kg 0.15 0.20 0.30
space provided below:

Spring’s color: __________ Mass 𝑚 __________ kg Relaxed length ℓ __________ m

Experiment 1. Hooke’s Law

The first task is to measure the force exerted by the spring as a function of how far it is stretched.
2. Hang the spring on the horizontal support rod, then suspend the hanging mass m0 and slowly lower the
mass until it hangs at rest. This hanging weight must be kept on the spring in all experiments.
3. Carefully read the initial position x0 of the lower end of the spring on the measuring stick. Then, record
its value below.
x0 ______________ m

This position will be the “zero” reference point for measuring the amount the spring stretches.

4. Record the five masses listed in Table 2 for chosen spring into the second column of Table 3.

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5. Add a hooked mass m1 to the spring and slowly lower the mass to its new equilibrium position. When
the mass is at rest carefully read the position of the lower end of the spring on the measuring stick and
record its value in Table 3.
Table 3
6. Repeat these measurements for the Trial m 𝑥 ∆𝑥 F kHooke
next four masses. # kg m m N N/m
7. For each mass, calculate the spring 1
displacements, ∆𝑥 𝑥 𝑥 and 2
record them in the fourth column of
Table 3. 3

8. Calculate and record the force, F, 4

exerted by the spring. Then, use Eq. 2
5
to calculate the spring constant for
each trial. Then, record them in the last column of Table 3.

9. Calculate the average value of the spring constant, 𝑘 , and its standard deviation.

𝑘 _______________ _______________ N/m

10. In Excel, plot a F vs ∆𝑥 graph and use LINEST function to determine the slope of the best-fit line, the
y-intercept of the plot with its uncertainties. Record the values with its units below.

𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 ____________ ___________ units 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 ____________ ___________ units

Question 1. What is the physical meaning of the slope?

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Question 2. What is the physical meaning of the y-intercept? If it is different from zero, is the difference
statistically significant?
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Question 3. Does Hooke’s law apply to this spring? Explain briefly.

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Experiment 2. Measuring the Period of Oscillations

Table 4
11. If the mass m5 is still on the spring, replace it with m3 and calculate
the “effective” mass meff. Total
Trial 𝑇
Time
# s
meff _________ kg s
1
Use the amplitude A 1 cm in this experiment.
2
12. Carefully pull the weight down to stretch the spring 1 cm and then 3
release it. Choose one position of the cycle, such as at the bottom, and
start timing as it reaches that point. Count for 10 full cycles, then stop 4
the timing at the same position used for the start. Divide the total time 5
by 10 to obtain the period T. Repeat this measurement five times and
record T values in Table 4. Then, compute the average value of T and its standard deviation.

Average Period: 𝑇 ___________ _______ seconds

Experiment 3. Period vs Amplitude Table 5

A Total
13. Repeat the Experiment 9.2 for the same “effective” Trial 𝑇
m Time
mass meff and five different amplitudes listed in Table 5. # s
s
Then, find the average value 𝑇 of the period and its
1 0.005
standard deviation 𝜎 .
2 0.010

𝑇 ___________ _______ seconds 3 0.015

4 0.020
5 0.025

Question 4. Are your results consistent with the hypothesis that the period is completely independent of
amplitude? Briefly explain considering the range of values for 𝑇 and 𝑇 .
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Experiment 4. Period Squared vs Mass

Table 6
14. Calculate the effective mass
values for the masses used in meff Total T2 kSHM
Trial 𝑇
Experiment 1 and record them in kg Time s2 N/m
# s
Table 6. s
1
Use the amplitude A 1 cm in this
experiment. 2
3
15. Repeat the previous
Experiment but now for different 4
“effective” masses and the same 5
amplitude, then find T and T2 and
record them in Table 6.

16. For each trial, apply Eq. 12 to calculate the spring constant, kSHM , and record its values in Table 6.
Then, calculate the average value 𝑘 and its uncertainty, and record these values below.

𝑘 ____________ _________ N/m

17. In Excel, plot a T vs meff graph and use LINEST function to determine the slope of the best-fit line, the
y-intercept of the plot and uncertainties associated with these values. Record both values and its
uncertainties below.

T vs meff :

𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 ____________ ___________ s/kg 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 ____________ ___________ s

18. In Excel, plot a T 2 vs meff graph and use LINEST function to determine the slope of the best-fit line,
the y-intercept of the plot and uncertainties associated with these values. Record both values and its
uncertainties below.

T 2 vs meff :

𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 ____________ ___________ s/kg 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 ____________ ___________ s

Question 5. Which of following would best fit your experimental data, T vs meff or T 2 vs meff ? Briefly explain
your reasoning.
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Question 6. Do the 𝑘 , and 𝑘 agree within experimental error?

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Question 7. Does your value of 𝑘 for the spring constant obtained in experiment 1 agree with the value of
𝑘 obtained in experiment 4 within its experimental uncertainties?
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