Title: Stretching Objects

TODAY’S BIG QUESTION:

How can you find out how stiff a spring is?

Learning Objectives:
● Describe the changes in energy
involved when an object is stretched
● Plot a graph accurately
● Explain what ‘directly proportional’
means
Stretching Objects
What do all these
items have in
common??

Stretch:
Why do you think it’s important
for scientists to know about
these objects?
 Types of energy:
Stretching Objects ●
●
●
Kinetic
Sound
Light
● Chemical

Starter: What types ●

●
Electrical
Heat
● Nuclear
of energy do you ●
●
Elastic potential
Gravitational
think are involved in potential

this picture!

Hint: Look at what is

happening to the ball in the
picture!

Stretch: Write the longest

energy transfer you can for
this picture
Stretching Objects
Any objects that are
stretched or
compressed store
elastic potential
energy.

Examples:
• Springs
• Golf balls
Stretching Objects

What happens when you

stretch an object?
When an object is stretched, it
stores elastic potential energy.

Some objects are better at

storing this energy than others.
ELASTIC POTENTIAL ENERGY (EPE)

• EPE is given to objects that are stretched by a

force.
• Examples of objects that have EPE include a
stretched elastic band, a stretched catapult and a
stretched bow of a bow and arrow.
Elastic Objects
Forces and Objects
When a f______ acts on an object it can cause
it to c_______ shape. When a force is applied
to an e________ object, the object will
s_______ and store energy as elastic
p_________ energy. The extension of an
elastic o_______ is directly p__________ to
the force applied, provided that the limit of
proportionality is not e____________.

SUPPORT: STRETCH: How

potential, proportional, could you find out
stretch, change, force, what the limit of
exceeded, elastic, object proportionality was
for an elastic object?
Forces and Objects
When a force acts on a object it can cause it to
change shape. When a force is applied to an
elastic object, the object will stretch and store
energy as elastic potential energy. The
extension of an elastic object is directly
proportional to the force applied, provided that
the limit of proportionality is not exceeded.
 Describing a graph
Directly proportional: When two variables increase by
the same percentage each time.
→ When one variable doubles, the other one doubles

Directly proportional results are always a straight line

through the origin.
 Describing graphs - task
For each graph:
Band 3/4 - Describe what the graph is showing
“As ____ increases…”
Band 5 - Is it linear or non-linear?
Band 6 - Are the variables directly proportional
to each other?
Band 7 - explain how you came to this
conclusion
A B
Area of exposed Temperature drop Length of wire Resistance
metal (cm2) (oC) (cm) (ohms)

0 5.8 20 2.3

100 14.2 30 3.4

200 27.8 40 4.5

300 40.9 50 5.7

400 53.8 60 6.8

C D
A B
Area of exposed Temperature drop Length of wire Resistance
metal (cm2) (oC) (cm) (ohms)

0 5.8 20 2.3

100 14.2 30 3.4

200 27.8 40 4.5

300 40.9 50 5.7

400 53.8 60 6.8

C D
A

Area of exposed metal (cm2) Temperature drop (oC)

0 5.8

100 14.2

200 27.8

300 40.9

400 53.8

Is the relationship between area of exposed metal and

temperature drop directly proportional?
A

Area of exposed metal Temperature drop (oC)

(cm2)
0 7.1

100 14.2

200 28.4

300 56.8

400 113.6

Yes. As the amount of area exposed doubles, so does the temperature drop.

Pick two values of the independent variable where one is double the other like
100 and 200.

Look at the corresponding values for the dependent variable. If they double as
well then the relationship is directly proportional. 2 x 14.2 = 28.4
B
Length of Resistance
wire (cm) (ohms)

20 2.3
Is length of wire
30 3.4 directly proportional
to Resistance?
40 4.5

50 5.7 How did you come to

60 6.8 your decision?
 Resistance
Resistance is an electrical quantity that
measures how the device or material reduces
the electric current flow through it. The
resistance is measured in units of ohms (Ω). If
we make an analogy to water flow in pipes, the
resistance is bigger when the pipe is thinner, so
the water flow is decreased.
B
Length of Resistance
wire (cm) (ohms)

20 2.3
Use the values of
30 3.4 resistance for the lengths
20 and 40cm
40 4.5
2 x 2.3 = 4.6 so yes the
50 5.7 relationship is
approximately directly
60 6.8
proportional
C

Temperature does not

double as time
doubles… so not
proportional
D

Temperature 300 → 600

K doubles, pressure
doubles 1.0→ 2.0 kPa
 Hooke’s Law
Hooke’s law can be written as:

F=kxe
• F = Force (N)
• k = spring constant (N/m)
• e = extension (m)
“The extension of an object is directly
proportional to the force that is applied
to it provided that the limit of
proportionality is not exceeded”
 Practical
Your aim is to find out if Hooke’s Law is correct!
1. Set up your
Force Extension of
applied (N) spring (m)
equipment like the
picture
2. Make sure you put
the ruler at the
bottom of the
spring before it is
extended.
3. Start adding
masses

Stretch: Write a conclusion:

As more _______ was added to the spring,
the more the spring ________________
…but after _____N of force, the spring
started to………
 Practical - Springs
Aim: To determine a relationship between force
applied and extension of a spring
SUPPORT:
100g = 1N
Method: 1 cm = 0.01 m
• Measure the initial length of your spring
• Put a 100g mass onto the spring
• Measure the extension of the spring
• Repeat the experiment adding 100g each time
• Measure your results on a results table
• Plot your results when you are finished and draw
a line of best fit
Stretch: Write a conclusion for your results. How could you
find out what the elastic limit would be?
 Practical
Task 1: Fill in the table with
your results from the
practical.
Hint: Task 2: Write a conclusion:
As more _______ was added to the spring,
100g = 1N
the more the spring ________________
1 cm = 0.01 m …but after _____N of force, the spring
started to………

STRETCH:
Estimate: What would be the force at
230g?
CHALLENGE: Try the experiment with an
elastic band… what do you notice?
 Graph Checklist
• Drawn using PENCIL
• Points clear and neat “x”
• Straight lines drawn with a ruler
• Graph Type is appropriate for data.
• Title
• Axis Units: The units of the data are
clear.
• Axis scales correct for data
• Line of best fit - straight line through
origin
 Hooke’s Law
Hooke’s law states that:
“The extension of an object
is d_______ p___________
to the force that is applied
to it provided that the limit
of proportionality is not
exceeded”
 Hooke’s Law
Hooke’s law states that:
“The extension of an object
is directly proportional to
the force that is applied to
it provided that the limit of
proportionality is not
exceeded”