Randall D. Knight — Oscillations: Problem 47

Your lab instructor has asked you to measure a spring constant using a dynamic method—letting it oscillate—rather than a static method of stretching it. You and your lab partner suspend the spring from a hook, hang different masses on the lower end, and start them oscillating. One of you uses a meter stick to measure the amplitude, the other uses a stopwatch to time 10 oscillations. Your data are as follows: Mass (g) Amplitude (cm) Time (s) 100 6.5 7.8 150 5.5 9.8 200 6.0 10.9 250 3.5 12.4 Use the best-fit line of an appropriate graph to determine the spring constant.