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Meausuring properties of a spring

Today, you will make measurements of a mass bobbing up and down as it hangs from a spring. Next time, we'll use these measurements to illustrate Simple Harmonic Motion (or SHM for short). You'll also practice how to deal with uncertainties in measurements.

Set up equipment at your table so that you can hang a m = 105 g mass from a brass spring (use a 100-g weight and a 5-g hanger). We will treat this mass as perfect; let's assume that it has no uncertainty at all.

Allow the mass to come to rest as it hangs from the spring. Then, displace it slightly upwards and release it. The mass will bob up and down, up and down.

  1. Measure the time it takes for the mass to complete N = 20 oscillations.
  2. Make 3 trials, and record in a neat table the times for each trial.
  3. Calculate the period P for each trial.
  4. Compute the average period.

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.