Learning objectives
Students will be able to demonstrate elastic potential energy in the form of a spring.Real world applications
Slinky springs are made to be flexible enough to be used as toys. Garage door springs are made to be strong enough to support a heavy door. Why is it easier to stretch a slinky spring than it is to stretch a garage door spring?Select a spring
k =
x =
PEelastic =
PEelastic (J)
x (m)
Select a spring with a given spring constant (k) and a mass to plot the elastic potential energy (PEelastic) versus the distance the spring is stretched (x) on the graph.
Select a different spring or mass to compare the results. After all of the masses have been tested, click Best Fit Line to fit a curve to the points on the graph. Click Reset to clear all stored data and start over.
