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Force Constant of Helical Spring

The document outlines an experiment to determine the force constant of a helical spring using Hooke's Law. It details the materials required, the procedure for measuring load and extension, and how to calculate the spring constant from the resulting graph. The experiment concludes with a calculated spring constant of approximately 8.17 N/m.

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25 views2 pages

Force Constant of Helical Spring

The document outlines an experiment to determine the force constant of a helical spring using Hooke's Law. It details the materials required, the procedure for measuring load and extension, and how to calculate the spring constant from the resulting graph. The experiment concludes with a calculated spring constant of approximately 8.17 N/m.

Uploaded by

sonusingh94352
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Activity: Determination of the Force Constant of a Helical Spring

Objective:
To find the force constant (spring constant) of a helical spring by plotting a graph between load and
extension.

Materials Required:
- Helical spring
- Slotted weights with hanger
- Meter scale or ruler
- Stand with clamp
- Pointer (optional)

Theory:
The force constant (k) of a spring is defined by Hooke's Law:
F=k×x

Where:
- F = Applied force (in N)
- k = Spring constant (in N/m)
- x = Extension produced in the spring (in m)

Thus, the spring constant is calculated as:


k=F/x

Procedure:
1. Suspend the helical spring vertically using a stand and clamp.
2. Attach a pointer to the spring to measure the extension accurately.
3. Measure the initial position of the spring without any load.
4. Add a known weight to the spring and measure the extension (x).
5. Continue adding weights and record the corresponding extensions.
6. Plot a graph of Load (F) on the Y-axis and Extension (x) on the X-axis.
7. The slope of the straight-line graph gives the force constant (k).

Observations:
| Load (kg) | Force (N) | Extension (cm) |
|-----------|-----------|----------------|
| 0.1 | 0.98 | 1.2 |
| 0.2 | 1.96 | 2.4 |
| 0.3 | 2.94 | 3.6 |
| 0.4 | 3.92 | 4.8 |
| 0.5 | 4.90 | 6.0 |

Calculations:
Spring Constant (k) = Slope of the Load vs. Extension graph (DeltaF/Deltax)

Precautions:
- Ensure the spring is vertically aligned.
- Add weights gently to avoid jerks.
- Measure the extension from the same reference point each time.

Sources of Error:
- Parallax error in measuring extension.
- Inaccurate measurement of weights.
- Elastic after-effect in the spring.

Result:
The calculated force constant (k) of the helical spring is approximately 8.17 N/m.

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