The Spring-Mass System
This TI-Nspire simulation and graphing activity provides a thorough investigation of Hooke's Law- the effect of masses on springs. Students view the simulation and determine a relationship between the restoring force and displacement of the mass. Students then capture the restoring force and displacement data for various experiments, and use the graphing tool to plot and determine the spring constant related to Hooke's Law. Teacher notes and students questions are provided as a pdf file.
This activity reinforces Newton's Laws of Motion by providing a specific case study of the spring-mass system and its adherence to physical law. Students are able to see the relationship develop as the displacement of the mass is measured and data collection progresses. A final analysis of the physical meaning of the linear graph slope is determined and shown to be the determining factor in Hooke's Law. Students can then recognize that seemingly random data points develop into standard and reproducible physical relationships.
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