Force & Extension

• What is the aim of the investigation?

  To determine the relationship between force and extension for a spring
• What happens to a spring when a force is applied?

  It causes the spring to extend
• How does increasing the force affect the extension of a spring?

  It increases the extension
• What is the purpose of this practical investigation?

  • Investigate how extension varies with applied force
  • Determine if the spring obeys Hooke's law
• What is the independent variable in this investigation?

  Applied force
• What is the dependent variable in this investigation?

  Extension of spring
• What is the control variable in this investigation?

  Same spring
• What are the variables in the investigation?

  • Independent variable: Applied force
  • Dependent variable: Extension of spring
  • Control variable: Same spring
• What law is being demonstrated in the experiment?

  Hooke's Law
• What is the main goal of the experiment?

  To gather data on spring extension
• What must be measured to ensure accurate results?

  Length and extension of the spring
• Why is it important to clamp the ruler in place?

  To ensure accurate length measurements
• What type of ruler is used in the experiment?

  A ruler starting at zero with no gap
• How does aligning the zero mark with the spring help?

  It eliminates potential measurement errors
• What is the mass of each weight used in the experiment?

  100 grams
• How is force calculated from mass in this experiment?

  Using the equation F = mg
• What is the force exerted by a 100 g mass?

  1 Newton
• How many Newtons are used in the experiment?

  Five Newtons
• How is extension measured in the experiment?

  In meters after converting from centimeters
• What is the conversion factor from centimeters to meters?

  Divide by 100
• What is the original length of the spring when no force is applied?

  Zero extension
• Why is it important to stop the spring from oscillating?

  To ensure accurate extension measurements
• What is the extension of the spring at 1 Newton?

  0.035 meters
• What is the extension of the spring at 2 Newtons?

  0.08 meters
• What is the extension of the spring at 3 Newtons?

  0.127 meters
• What is the extension of the spring at 4 Newtons?

  0.173 meters
• What is the extension of the spring at 5 Newtons?

  0.219 meters
• What indicates a systematic error in the experiment?

  The line of best fit not passing through the origin
• What is plotted on the y-axis of the graph?

  Force in Newtons
• What is plotted on the x-axis of the graph?

  Extension in meters
• How is the scale for the force axis determined?

  Using two squares for one Newton
• What is the largest extension measured in the experiment?

  0.219 meters
• How is the gradient of the line of best fit calculated?

  By forming a right angle triangle
• What is the formula for calculating the spring constant?

  Gradient = height / width
• What is the value of the spring constant calculated?

  21.2 Newtons per meter
• What does Hooke's Law state?

  F = kx, where F is force
• What does the symbol 'k' represent in Hooke's Law?

  The spring constant
• What does 'x' represent in Hooke's Law?

  The extension of the spring
• What alternative symbol can be used for extension?

  Lowercase 'e'