Cons. of Energy Exercise 3

To do a quantitative measurement, you will need the spring’s force constant. Calibrate the force sensor as follows:

Reduce the force on the probe to zero by holding the hanging weight in your hand so that the string is not pulling on the probe. Click the start button on the viewer to observe the force and use the “Zero Sensor Now” button in the Capstone software (in the Hardware Setup, click the Wireless Force Sensor and find the Zero Sensor Now button) to set it to zero. (The electronics will drift continuously so you should zero before each measurement.)

You can measure the spring’s force constant using the force and rotary motion sensors together. Measure the force and position curves as the cart moves. Then, click the x-axis label and switch the data to position to create a force- position graph.

Sketch the force as a function of position.

Determine the spring constant.