Question

We can derive the potential energy stored in an ideal spring when it is stretched or compressed by computing the work done due
to Hooke’s law. In this experiment we will be working with springs. When they are not being stretched by some external force,
the coils of these springs are held tightly together by the spring’s rigidity. They are held so tightly that a small amount of weight
can be hung from these springs, and they don’t stretch at all, which means they are not exactly “ideal.”
1. One approach to measuring the potential energy stored in a spring is to hang various weights from it to measure its spring
constant , and then use the spring constant in the potential energy equation. Describe how you might conduct an experiment
to measure the spring constant. [Hint: Don’t forget how useful graphs can be to obtain experimental results!]

2. Comment on why this will be an ineffective way to measure energy stored in the springs in this experiment. Include in your
comments whether the actual energy put into the spring will be lower or higher than what you compute from .

3. Even though the experiment devised in (1) will not lead to a useful spring constant, it nevertheless can give us the functional
dependence of the spring stretch on the applied force. Describe how this can be used to compute the value of the stored
energy that we are looking for.

Answer 1