Abney-Clark-Nash-Nackoud 1

Simple Harmonic Motion Lab

Problem Statement:
To test the factors of spring length, damper area, mass, and amplitude in order to
determine which factor (s) affect the period of a simple oscillating spring.

Hypothesis:
Of the four factors being tested, mass will be the only factor to significantly
influence the period of oscillation.

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Experimental Design
Materials:
(3) Spring (16.5 cm, 19.5 cm, 26.0 cm)
(3) Damper (10x10 cm, 15x15 cm, 20x20 cm)
500 g weight
(2) 200 g weight
Lab Quest
Motion detector
Metal cage
Hook
Meter stick
Scrap paper
Procedures:
1.

Set up the Lab Quest and attach the motion detector.

2.

Place the motion detector under the protective cage.

3.

Randomize the trials. Trials 1, 10, and 19 must be standard trials.

4.

Hang the appropriate spring from the ceiling. The motion detector should be
centered under the spring.

5.

Place the appropriate damper and mass on the hook. Place scrap paper in the
opening of the weights so that they do not fall off. Reference Figure 1.

6.

Hang the hook from the spring; wait for the spring to become still.

7.

Hold a meter stick next to the spring with the top of the stick touching the ceiling.
Raise the damper by the appropriate amplitude from the initial position.

8.

Let go of the damper and allow the spring to oscillate freely. Begin collecting data
on the Lab Quest.

9.

Data collection will cease automatically. When this happens, highlight the
consistent periods on the graph.

10.

Divide the change in time (T) that appears on the screen by the number of
periods that were highlighted on the graph; this is the period of oscillation.
Record the result in the data table.

11.

Repeat steps 4 10 until all trials are complete

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Damper

Weight
s

Scrap
Paper

Hook

Figure 1. Assembly of the Hanging Mass

The above figure pictures how to assemble the hanging mass. To begin, place
the hook through the opening in the damper. Then, place the weight(s) onto the hook
and put scrap paper into the opening on the weight(s).

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Conclusion
It was originally hypothesized that mass would have the only significant influence
on the oscillation period of the spring. After conducting the experiment, this hypothesis
was rejected. This was because the data showed that, in addition to mass, spring length
was also a significant factor. The purpose of the experiment was to test the four factors,
which were mass, spring length, damper area, and amplitude, to define which factors
would impact the period of a simple oscillating spring. A DOE was used to analyze data
collected during the experiment; it was found that the mass of the added weights and
the length of the spring significant while the area of the damper and the amplitude were
found insignificant.
The collected data showed that trials where mass and spring length were tested
at their high values (900 grams and 26 centimeters) produced the longest oscillation
periods. Each of these trials produced periods that exceeded 1.30 seconds. In contrast,
trials where these factors were held at their low values (500 grams and 16.5
centimeters) each produced a period of less than 0.80 seconds. The significance of
mass and spring length found in this experiment is supported by Hookes Law.
=
When the force (F) is replaced with the product of the mass (m) and gravity (g)
and is revised to be solved for the springs constant (k), it shows that the mass is the
determining factor.
=

From this same equation, the springs length (x) is also shown to be one of the
factors that would affect the springs constant. The springs constant affects the

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oscillation time because it is the measure of how stiff the spring is. If the spring is stiff, it
moves much faster, causing it to have a shorter oscillation time and vice versa.
Although this experiment produced consistent results, improvements could be
made. For example, an improvement could be made by substituting a wedge that would
more sufficiently hold the weights in place. During the trials, the weights would
sometimes shift slightly, causing the weight to not be distributed evenly. This may have
influenced the affect that mass had on the experiment.
With the data collected from this experiment, it is also possible to create future
experiments. For instance, an experimenter could keep the current significant factors
and replace the non-significant with new factors. An experiment could then be
conducted to determine if the new factors alone or in combination with mass and/or
spring length affect the oscillation time of the spring.