Instructions for Hooke’s Law Lab
Guided Inquiry
Introduction: Springs obey Hooke’s law, but is that true of any stretchy material. In this lab you will use
graphical analysis to determine the spring constant for a spring. You will then investigate if a rubber band
obeys Hooke’s Law.
Spring Part:
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Get a Hooke’s Law apparatus
Zero out the device
Place masses (please do not exceed 150g) on the mass hanger. Record the mass and distance stretched
in your data table (remember ruler on apparatus is in cm, so you will need to convert to m)
Collect data for at least 5 different masses
Process Data so you can make a graph of Force vs. Distance
Draw line of best fit (must go through 0,0)
Slope of your best fit line will be “k” for the spring
Rubber Band
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Design a procedure to determine if a rubber band follows Hooke’s Law
You can use any of the equipment that was available for the spring portion of this lab
Hanging masses may work better than the slotted masses
If you have an idea that needs other equipment, please ask and we will see what we can do.
I have a rough template for your lab, if there are sections you do not need to use, please write a
sentence or two in those sections explaining why you are not using that section.
If there is a something you need to add to your lab report, please feel free to do so.
The end result of your lab needs to address the question “Does a rubber band obey Hooke’s Law?” (do
this in the first paragraph of your conclusion) be sure to collect appropriate data to support your answer.
Review the Lab Report Sections to make sure you have met the requirements for each section.