Masses and Springs: Basics
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Topics
- Measurement
- Periodic Motion
- Hooke's Law
Description
Hang masses from springs and discover how they stretch and oscillate. Compare two mass-spring systems, and experiment with spring constant. Transport the lab to different planets, slow down time, and observe the velocity and acceleration throughout the oscillation.
Sample Learning Goals
- Describe the natural length and equilibrium position in your own words.
- Find the relationship between the mass, spring strength (spring constant), and stretch (displacement).
- Design an experiment to determine the mass of a mystery object
- Develop a method to measure the period.
- Determine the factors which affect the period of oscillation.
- Compare the gravity on Planet X to known benchmarks.
- Describe the relationship between the velocity and acceleration vectors, and their relationship to motion, at various points in the oscillation.
Teacher Tips
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Overview of sim controls, model simplifications, and insights into student thinking ( PDF ). |
Teacher-Submitted Activities
The new HTML5 sims can run on iPads and Chromebooks, as well as PC, Mac, and Linux systems.
iPad:
iOS 11+ Safari
iPad compatible sims
Android:
Not officially supported. If you are using the HTML5 sims on Android, we recommend using the latest version of Google Chrome.
Chromebook:
Latest version of Google Chrome
The HTML5 and Flash PhET sims are supported on all Chromebooks.
Chromebook compatible sims
Windows Systems:
Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11, latest version of Firefox, latest version of Google Chrome.
Macintosh Systems:
macOS 10.9.5+, Safari 9+, latest version of Chrome.
Linux Systems:
Not officially supported. Please contact phethelp@colorado.edu with troubleshooting issues.
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