Hooke's Law

PHYS 1313
Prof. T.E. Coan
Version: 28 Feb 06
Introduction
The elasti !ro!erties of "atter are in#ol#e$ in "an% !h%sial !heno"ena. &hen "atter
is $efor"e$ 'o"!resse$( t)iste$( strethe$( et etera* an$ the $efor"in+ fores are
s,ffiientl% s"all( the "aterial )ill ret,rn to its ori+inal sha!e )hen the $efor"in+ fores
are re"o#e$. -n s,h ases( the $efor"ation is sai$ to ta.e !lae )ithin the elastic limit
of the "aterial( i.e.( there is no !er"anent $efor"ation. The sli+ht strethin+ of a r,bber
ban$ is an e/a"!le of an elasti $efor"ation. Steel )ires( onrete ol,"ns( "etal bea"s
an$ ro$s an$ other "aterial ob0ets an also ,n$er+o elasti $efor"ations. For "an%
"aterials( it is a!!ro/i"atel% tr,e that )hen the "aterial is strethe$ or o"!resse$( the
resistin+ or restorin+ fore that ten$s to ret,rn the "aterial to its ori+inal sha!e is
!ro!ortional to the a"o,nt of the $efor"ation b,t !oints in a $iretion o!!osite to the
streth or o"!ression. This i$eali1e$ beha#ior of "atter is alle$ Hooke's Law. To$a%2s
lab )ill allo) %o, to test the a,ra% of Hoo.e2s la) for a si"!le ob0et( a s!rin+.
Simplified Theory
Hoo.e2s 3a) is the state"ent that the restorin+ fore atin+ on an ob0et is !ro!ortional
to the ne+ati#e of the $is!lae"ent '$efor"ation* of the ob0et. -n s%"bols(
F 4 -k x '1*
Here( F is the restorin+ fore !ro#i$e$ b% )hate#er is bein+ strethe$ 'or s5,ee1e$*( x is
the $is!lae"ent of the thin+ bein+ strethe$ 'or s5,ee1e$*.( an$ k is the onstant of
!ro!ortionalit%. The ne+ati#e si+n '6* is i"!ortant an$ 0,st sa%s that the restorin+ fore is
o!!osite in $iretion to the $is!lae"ent. For e/a"!le( if a s!rin+ is strethe$ b%
so"ethin+ in a ertain $iretion( the s!rin+ )ill e/ert a restorin+ fore on that so"ethin+
b,t in the o!!osite $iretion. E5,ation '1* also sa%s that for an ob0et )hih obe%s
Hoo.e2s la) 's,h as a s!rin+*( the "ore it is strethe$ or s5,ee1e$( the +reater )ill be
the restorin+ fore s,!!lie$ b% the ob0et on )hate#er is $oin+ the strethin+ or the
s5,ee1in+. 7n a!!lie$ fore 'F* atin+ on o,r 8Hoo.ean9 ob0et )ill a,se it to be
$is!lae$ 'strethe$ or s5,ee1e$* b% so"e a"o,nt 'x). The ratio of the han+e in a!!lie$
fore 'F* an$ the han+e in the res,ltin+ $is!lae"ent 'x* is alle$ the spring
constant 'k* an$ an be )ritten as follo)s:
k 4 '2*
To$a%2s e/!eri"ent )ill test this relationshi! for a lar+e s!rin+. :% han+in+ $ifferent
"asses fro" the s!rin+ )e an ontrol the a"o,nt of fore atin+ on it. &e an then
"eas,re for eah a!!lie$ )ei+ht the a"o,nt that the s!rin+ ;strethes.9 Sine E5,ation
'1* is the e5,ation for a strai+ht line( a +ra!h of F 'the )ei+ht* #ers,s x 'the ;streth;*
)ill sho,l$ %iel$ a line )ith slo!e k . E5,ation '2* tells ,s the sa"e thin+ an$ its
a!!earane sho,l$ re"in$ %o, of ho) to o"!,te the slo!e of a strai+ht line.
Procedure
1. -nstall a table ro$ )ith a ro$ la"! near its to!. S,s!en$ a helial s!rin+ fro" the
la"! )ith the lar+e en$ ,!.
2. 7ttah a <0 + )ei+ht hoo. )ith a <0 + slot "ass on it to the s!rin+. =eor$ the initial
"ass of 100 + as m
1
. The !ara"eter m )ill re!resent the total "ass on the s!rin+.
3. Plae the "eter sti. #ertiall% alon+si$e the han+in+ "ass. >eas,re the elon+ation
of the s!rin+ an$ reor$ it as x
1
. 7l)a%s be s,re to "eas,re startin+ at the sa"e !lae(
either on the table or on the la"!.
?. 7$$ a <0 + slot "ass to the hoo. an$ reor$ m
2
'1<0 +*. =ea$ the "eter sti. an$
reor$ x
2
. =e!eat( fin$in+ x
3
( x
4
( x
5
( an$ x
6
)ith total "asses 200 +( 2<0 +( 300 +(
an$ 3<0 +. =eor$ all the "asses an$ elon+ations on the for" !ro#i$e$.
Analysis
1. Con#ert all "asses to @e)tons an$ all "eter sti. rea$in+s to "eters.
2. Plot all the $ata on the +ra!h !a!er. F )ill be !lotte$ in the #ertial $iretion( )hile x
)ill be !lotte$ in the hori1ontal $iretion. Label the a/es of %o,r +ra!h an$ inl,$e
units.
3. Ta.e a strai+ht e$+e an$ $ra) a single ;best fit; line thro,+h all the $ata !oints.
?. >eas,re the ;rise o#er r,n; 'the slo!e* of this line. This is %o,r e/!eri"ental #al,e
for the s!rin+ onstant. -n )hat ,nits sho,l$ k be re!orte$A
onclusions
1. &rite $o)n %o, +eneral onl,sions for this e/!eri"ent. These onl,sions sho,l$
inl,$e the #al,e of the s!rin+ onstant k an$ an esti"ate of its error.
2. Bi$ %o,r !lotte$ $ata for" a strai+ht lineA Boes the $ata fro" another sha!e( !erha!s
a !arabolaA
3. -f %o,r +ra!h )as not a strai+ht line( )hat $oes this tell %o, abo,t the s!rin+A
M
k k
?. Consi$er a set of t)o i$ential s!rin+s eah of s!rin+
onstant k onnete$ in !arallel 'si$e b% si$e* to a sin+le
"ass. &hat )o,l$ %o, e/!et the total s!rin+ onstant to
be of the s%ste"A &h%A 'Hint: thin. abo,t the s!rin+
fore as a #etor.*
!rror Analysis
3oo. at ho) ",h the !oints satter aro,n$ %o,r ;best fit; line. The "ore the% satter(
the !oorer the !reision. Boes the +ra!h for" so"e other sha!e besi$es a strai+ht line(
s,h as a !arabolaA 'This o,l$ "ean that Hoo.eCs 3a) is not #ali$ for this s!rin+.* &hat
is %o,r esti"ate of the error in k an$ ho) $i$ %o, esti"ate this errorA &hat are the
so,res of error for %o,r $ata !oints an$ )hat is the rele#ane of these errors in %o,r
$eter"ination of kA
Hooke's Law
PHYS 1313
Prof. T.E. Coan
Version: 2D E,l DD
"ame #################################Section #########
Abstract$
%ata
n x M F 4 mg
1
2
3
?
<
6
&raph Separately.
k 4
onclusions
!rror Analysis$