Today, in 3rd period Honors Physics we had a wonderful time. First, we turned in Hooke's Law lab from the previous day, if we hadn't turned it in already. Then, the Newton's Law practice problems worksheet was checked. We compared our answers with the key and went over a few of the tricky problems on the board. Next, we took notes on springs and Hooke's Law. We learned some exciting information. All of the intelligent honors physics students now know that a force exerted by a spring is a contact force. It also is a variable force. This means that the force depends on the amount that the spring is extended or compressed. Also, we were informed that an ideal spring is directly proportional to the amount that it is compressed or extended. The spring from the Hooke's Law lab that we did the previous day was pretty darn close to being an ideal spring. The next notes were learning the Hooke's Law is F=-kx, where F is the spring force, k is the spring constant, and x is the position of the spring. The negative sign indicates that the force of the spring is always in the opposite direction of x. When x is equal to zero, the spring is at equilibrium. When x is greater than zero, the spring is stretched and vice versa. Moreover, the units of the constant, k, are usually Newtons per meter. After the notes, we were instructed to complete a spring pair check, which I had to do on my own because, unfortunately, my highly intelligent partner, Liz Alaimo, was absent. Even so, the pair check was quickly completed by most. We then were given the opportunity to start on our homework which was a spring worksheet. This worksheet is due on Monday. While we were finishing our pair check and beginning our homework assignment, Coats-Haan told us that she will not be assigning any more homework, after this spring worksheet of course, until after Thanksgiving break. There were many cheers around the room. Also, she said that we will not be taking very many notes after Thanksgiving break. Much thanks goes out to Coats-Haan for this wonderful gift!
QOD:
What is the first thing you should do when you solve a spring problem and how does this help you determine the sign of the spring force?
The first thing you should do when solving a spring problem is to determine whether the spring is being extended or compressed. This will tell you whether x is positive or negative. Then, after multiplying x and k together, you will be able to determine whether the force of the spring is positive or negative.
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