I\'m working on a thermodynamics lab, and using a nerf gun, we measured the dist
ID: 1327499 • Letter: I
Question
I'm working on a thermodynamics lab, and using a nerf gun, we measured the distance the spring compresses inside the barrell, and we used a fish scale to hook to the end of the plunger and pull it out to fully compress the spring and record the reading when the spring is fully comressed. However, I now need to fing the force applied to the spring using the displacement of the spring (2.5 cm) and the measured mass value (3.447 kg), and no spring constant. How do I do this? (I don't think I can use F=mg, because we pulled it by hand to compress the spring instead of letting it hang like you typically do with a fish scale.)
Explanation / Answer
If you have the possibility to measure at least 2 forces (with a dynamometer) and 2 corresponding distances then you may plot them (Ox=axis for the distances, Oy=axis for the forces).
The slope of the graph is the spring constant.