Lesson 8 of 12 · Forces
Experiment⭐ 30 XP⚡ Spark LabHooke's Law and Elastic Limit
Hooke's Law and Elastic Limit.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Energy never disappears — it just hides somewhere else.
Mind = Blown
🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: which will move faster, and why?
What You'll Learn
For a spring below its elastic limit, extension is proportional to load: F = kx, where k is the spring constant in newtons per metre. Beyond the elastic limit the line bends and the spring no longer returns to its original length.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- spring
- slotted masses
- clamp stand
- metre rule
- graph paper
Safety First
- Wear eye protection: an overloaded spring can snap back.
- Weight the base of the clamp stand and keep feet from under the masses.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Hang increasing masses on a spring and record extension each time. Plot force against extension, take the gradient as k, and keep loading in small steps until the graph departs from a straight line — that point is the elastic limit.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2Hooke's law states that below the elastic limit, extension is:
Where you see this in real life
This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
This week, find one thing in your house that turns one kind of energy into another.
For the dinner table
“Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”
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Hooke's Law and Elastic Limit
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
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