Force Applied vs Distance for a Spring

Statement of Problem: To graphically and mathematically model the relationship between force applied and distance stretched for a spring.

Hypothesis:
If the weight increases then the distance will also increase because of the amount of force applied will cause the blue spring to extend down.

Experimental design:
Materials: Meter stick/Ruler, Clip to hold ruler, Blue Spring, and multiple weights
Independent Variable: Amount of weight used in (g) converted to (kg)
Dependent Variable: Distance spring stretched, (cm) converted to (m)
Controlled Variable: Length/size of spring,and mass Procedure:
Get meter stick and clip, attach clip to ruler holder
Acquire weight set and blue colored spring
Attach spring to meter stick holder, record spring length from bottom(Not extended)
Attach weight, hook onto bottom of spring
Record data from bottom portion of spring extension.

Data:
Mass(kg)
Mass(g)
Force(N)
Distance Stretched(cm) Trial 1
Distance Stretched (cm) Trial 2
Distance Stretched (cm) Trial 3
Distance Stretched (m) Average
.5
500
4.9
19
19
19
0.19
.4
400
3.92
14.5
14.5
14.5
0.145
.3
300
2.94
9.5
9.5
9.5
.095
.2
200
1.96
4.5
4.5
4.5
0.145
.1
100
0.98
0
0
0
0

Results(Graph):

% Error Calculation: observed expected/observed

Slope: y2-y1 = M= -1.232 x2-x1

Conclusion: The Problem was to graphically and mathematically model the relationship between the distance stretched and force applied to a spring. The hypothesis was that if the force applied to the spring increased, then also the distance of the spring would increase as well. Our hypothesis was supported because as we increased the weight attached to the spring, then the distance the spring stretched also increased as well. The result may vary depending on the height of spring and the ‘bounciness’ to find the final position of the spring, but to get the exact final position we found the closest number for the Xf. There wasn’t any trends in our data besides that our data was mostly constant through the process not changing at all. By looking at the graph and data table, you can tell by the amount of force placed on the spring, and the distance stretched resulted in the same amount. The relationship between the applied force and the distance is direct and linear. The r^2 equation tells us that the linear relationship between X and Y on the graph based on the data is 1. The significance of the Y intercept is that with force being greater it impacts the distance the spring is stretched, where slope tells us the amount increased in distance from the previous force applied. That tells us that the area between the slope and the x axis is the amount of distance gained from the weight increase.

Statement of Completion:

I attest that I made contribution to the design and execution of this experiment. I have reviewed this lab report and accept the grade for this group product as my own.

Brandon Tucker

Omair Syed