UIC Physics Department Physics 141 Prelab Assignment

Hooke’s Law and Simple Harmonic Motion

Lab Section Day & Time : _____________________________

Name: ____________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________

Pre – laboratory Assignment

Due at the beginning of your lab class. Answer all questions. Only some will be graded, for a total of 10 points.

1. A student is observing a block oscillating vertically at the end of a spring. The student measures the
block’s period, 𝑇, with a stopwatch, and repeats the same measurement several times. The results of such
a set of measurements are 2.34, 2.30, 2.28, 2.30, 2.26, 2.38 seconds.
a What is the average value of the measured period, 𝑇? Show your work.
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b Find each measurement's deviation from the average. Show your work.
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c What is the standard deviation of the period, 𝜎 ?
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d Write the measured period as 𝑇 𝑇 𝜎
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UIC Physics Department Physics 141 Prelab Assignment

2. The period of oscillation for a given mass, m, and the spring constant, k, can be found as

𝑚
𝑇 2𝜋
𝑘

Square both sides of the equation above. If we plot 𝑇2 vs. 𝑚 what is the expression for the slope of this
graph?
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3. When a mass m 100 g is attached to a vertical spring and then slowly brought to its new equilibrium
position, the spring is stretched by 20 cm, from 50 cm to 70 cm.

a Find the magnitude and the direction of the restoring force. Show your work.
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b Find the spring constant of the spring. Show your work.

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