Go to https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/hookes-law
Part 1:
Click on Intro.
⦁ Set the spring constant to 200N/m. Click in all of the check boxes to show all vectors and values. Apply a force of 60 N by dragging the red plunger or the red slider.
What are the forces?
What is the displacement?
Use Hooke’s Law to determine what the displacement should be. Does your prediction match what the software shows?
⦁ Apply a force of -50 N by dragging the red plunger or the red slider.
What are the forces?
What is the displacement?
Use Hooke’s Law to determine what the displacement should be. Does your prediction match what the software shows?
Part 2: At the bottom of the screen, click the icon that says Energy. If you don’t see it, return to
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/hookes-law and click on Energy
⦁ Click the check boxes to turn on all vectors and values.
Set the Spring Constant to 200N/m. Set the displacement to 0.2 m.
What is the applied force?
Use Hooke’s Law to determine what the applied force should be. Does your prediction match what the software shows?
Turn on the Energy Plot. What is the value of the Spring Potential Energy? Use to determine what the energy should be. Does your prediction match what the software shows?
Turn on the Force Plot, and check the box to show the Energy. Recall that . So the work required to stretch the spring is the shaded area under the Force graph.
Determine that area using geometry or calculus.
What is the slope of the Force graph? What does that value represent?
