Pasco Scientific ME-6956, Instruction Manual And Experiment Manual

Page: 43 / 46

39
012-07558A PAScar Accessory Track Set (2.2 Meter)
®
Experiment 6: Springs in Series and Parallel
Answers to Questions
1. The effective spring constant is 2k for springs in
parallel.
2. The effective spring constant is k/2 for springs
in series.
3. The springs are effectively in parallel when they
are attached to opposite ends of the car.
Keep the angle of the track low, especially if
you are using a short (1.2m) track. Otherwise,
the cars will go off the end of the track when the
springs are in series.
Notes on Calculations
The two springs used for this experiment had
spring constants of 1.53 and 1.60. Actual spring
constants may vary from spring to spring.
• In series, the spring constant was 0.76. (k/2)
• In parallel, the spring constant was 3.12 (2k)
• The spring constant was 3.06 (2k) when the
springs were attached to the ends of the car.
This lab is intended to only be a qualitative lab.
For a quantitative analysis of Newton
’ s second
law, see Experiment 8.
Notes on Data Analysis
1. Acceleration increases with force.
2. Acceleration decreases with mass.
Answers to Questions
1. F = ma
Experiment 7: Newton’s Second Law