Lab Notebook: Spring II

Name Jane
Station # 3
Lab Group Nikki
Members Tiffanie
Brooke
Instructions: Please increase space as necessary. Make sure your notebook is legible, clear, and
well organized.

Objective
Identify what the spring constant is when two springs are in series, and test whether the
mathematical model applies to two springs.

Method
Spring color & constant: Blue & 20 N*m
1. Obtain a pendulum stand, set of weights, set of springs, meter stick and a stopwatch.
2. Pick which color of spring is to be used, and attach the first spring to the pendulum stand,
and the second spring to the distal end of the first spring.
3. Pick three different masses to attach to the end of the second spring to test the spring
constants for three different trials.
4. Start by attaching the first mass (0.1 kg) to the end of the second spring and measure the
length at equilibrium from the top of the first spring to the bottom of the mass.
5. Decide the length of displacement, our group’s being 10 cm.
6. Pull the mass down 10 cm and let go of the mass the let the oscillations begin.
7. The stopwatch is started when the mass is the at the lowest point of its oscillation and
stops when the mass returns to the lowest point of its oscillation.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to make for a total of five trials, remeasuring any trials that appear
to be outliers.
9. Repeat steps 4 through 8 for the next two masses (0.15 kg and 0.2 kg).

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Lab Notebook: Spring II
Data
Spring II Lab Data.xlsx

Plot / Data Analysis

Mass vs Period of a Two Spring Series
1.20
1.00
0.80
Period (s)

0.60
0.40
0.20
0.00
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Mass (kg)

The plot above displays the correlation between the period length of oscillation for a series of
two springs and different masses attached to the end of the series. As the masses are increased
from 0.1 kg to 0.15 kg and 0.2 kg, the lengths of the periods increase. This visually displays the
positive correlation between the two variables and agrees with the model equation for the
oscillation of a spring series.

Conclusion
This experiment provided clarification about how the mass attached to the end of a spring series
affects the period length of a single oscillation. After manipulating the mass of the weights
attached to the springs, it was clear that the spring constant for a single spring was bigger
compared to the spring constant k for two springs in series. More specifically, the spring constant
is half the measured period of the oscillation and is consistent in each measurement because of
mathematic properties. The spring constant for two springs in series is determined by
manipulation the singular spring constants like so, 20 1N∙m + 20 1N∙m = 10 1N∙m × 10 N ∙ m = 10 N ∙ m.
Using this value, we can compare our average experimental spring constant to the theoretical
constant to determine how accurate our data collection was. Our experimental spring constant
values vary because of the outlying k constant value for the first 5 trials. If the value is included,
the average k value is 14±6N∙ m, and if not, the value is 8.2±0.08N∙ m. Although neither of the
calculated spring constant values were in agreement with the theoretical k value, it can be
concluded that there were errors within the first 5 trials for the 0.1 kg mass that largely impacted
the period of the oscillation, and therefore the spring constant. Overall, this experiment provided
more valuable information about the behaviors of a spring in series with another, and that the
mathematical model does apply to two springs.

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