John White

Elizabeth Wildsmith
Hannah Woodruff

Oscillating Particle Lab

Purpose​:
To determine the graphical and mathematical relationship between mass, amplitude, and spring
constant on the period of a mass bouncing on a spring.

Apparatus​:
Procedure
1. After gathering all of the materials, the apparatus was set up as shown in the picture.

2. The two different experiments that were to be conducted had a specific data table made for
each.

3. In the amplitude vs period trials, the amplitude was changed in units of centimeters.

4. To record the data, the timing person recorded the time interval it took for the system to
complete ten bounces, as the amplitude was changed.

5. As the amplitude was changed in a similar fashion on a different set of trails to obtain the
relationship between mass and period.

6. After dividing the time per ten bounces, the number was recorded into the data table to be
inputted into vernier interface to create a numerical relationship.

7. Repeated for all of the rest of the amplitude and mass trials.
Data Table:
Amplitude vs. Period
Mass vs. Period:
Mass vs. Period ^2:
Conclusion
To start, this experiment compared two separate variables in two seperate hosts of trials. The first
set of trials analyzed the relationship between the amplitude and period of the bouncing spring
system, which yielded a linear graph. The second set analyzed the relationship between mass and
period in the system, which yielded a quadratic graph. The equation that our group discovered
for amplitude vs period was y= .003x+.522. The equation for mass vs period was y=
-5.33E7+.001x+.201. Only mass vs period needed to be linearized, and to do so, we squared
period. The constants in the equation represent the presence of a spring constant. For the last
experiment in this lab, Mr. Thomas gathered all the different from the class and used them to
create a new relationship. We did not analyze this relationship as a group, but the class did as a
whole. Sources of error that definitely played a part: 1) Counting to ten revolutions. At times
were the revolutions took place in less than 1 second apiece, reaction time played an increasingly
large role on the inconsistency of the data. To work around this, a motion detector would have
been able to give much more accurate results. 2) The spring; it is possible that we used a
different spring on accident as many of them looked similar. This would have created a different
spring constant that could have affected the data in a different manner than before.