Stretching a Spring Practical: Force & Extension of a Spring

Question 1

Setting up the experiment:

1. Secure a _______________ to the bench using a G-clamp/_______________. Use _____________ to attach two clamps to the clamp stand.
2. Attach the spring to the ______________, and a ________________________________. Adjust the ruler so that it is ____________, and in _____________ with the top of the ____________.
3. Attach a horizontal __________ on the _______________________.

Answer 1

clamp stand
large mass
two bosses

top clamp
metre ruler to the bottom clamp
vertical
zero level
spring

pointer
bottom of the spring

Question 1

4. ____________________ the unstretched length of the spring.
5. Hang a 1N _________ on the spring.
6. Read the _________________________ on the metre ruler.
7. Continue adding 1N ___________ to the spring and reading the position of the pointer.
8. Work out the ______________ produced from adding each weight.
9. ______________ the length of the unstretched spring from each reading.
10. ______________ on a graph.

Answer 1

Measure and record

weight

new position of the pointer

weights

extension

Take away

Plot results

Question 2

True or false: Rubber bands produce straight lines on a force/extension graph.

Answer 2

False. They do not.

Question 3

How do you work out the weight of an unknown object using a force/ extension graph?

1. Measure the __________________________ when the unknown object is hanging from it.
2. Read the __________ of the object from the ___________.

Answer 3

extension of the spring

weight
graph