Why Should the Line of Best Fit for a Spring Constant Lab Pass Through (0,0)?

AI Thread Summary
In the spring constant lab, students measured the displacement of a hanging spring with added weights and created a linear graph to find the slope. The instructor questioned whether the line of best fit should pass through the origin (0,0) and prompted a discussion on the implications of this. According to Hooke's Law, the relationship between force and displacement is linear, suggesting that the line should ideally pass through the origin if no initial force is applied. However, some students argued that it may not make sense for the line to pass through (0,0) due to potential factors like spring preload or measurement errors. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding the theoretical underpinnings of the graph in relation to physical principles.
APysics
5
0

Homework Statement


we did a spring constant lab in school, we took a hanging spring and added weights to it, measuring displacement with each new weight. we were then instructed to create a graph and find the slope. i did that. then we were instructed to find the line of best fit. my line was linear. then the instructor as asked us a question about the graph: does it make sense that your line of best fit for your data pass through (0,0)? why or why not??


Homework Equations


hookes law

The Attempt at a Solution


well i think it doesn't make sense to pass through the origin, but I am not sure why
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Well, since you have a graph drawn out. And you obtained a straight line, the relationship between the 2 variable must be Y=mX+C.

What is your Y, m,X and C?

Does it look like certain formula you have seen before?

delzac
 

Thread 'Errors and significant figures'

I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
View full post »
Thread 'Minimum mass of a block'

Thread 'Minimum mass of a block'

Here we know that if block B is going to move up or just be at the verge of moving up will act downwards and maximum static friction will act downwards Now what im confused by is how will we know " how quickly" block B reaches its maximum static friction value without any numbers, the suggested solution says that when block A is at its maximum extension, then block B will start to move up but with a certain set of values couldn't block A reach...
View full post »
Thread 'Calculation of Tensile Forces in Piston-Type Water-Lifting Devices at Elevated Locations'

Thread 'Calculation of Tensile Forces in Piston-Type Water-Lifting Devices at Elevated Locations'

Figure 1 Overall Structure Diagram Figure 2: Top view of the piston when it is cylindrical A circular opening is created at a height of 5 meters above the water surface. Inside this opening is a sleeve-type piston with a cross-sectional area of 1 square meter. The piston is pulled to the right at a constant speed. The pulling force is（Figure 2）： F = ρshg = 1000 × 1 × 5 × 10 = 50,000 N. Figure 3: Modifying the structure to incorporate a fixed internal piston When I modify the piston...
View full post »

Similar threads

Solve Spring Constant Homework Confusion
Replies
3
Views
1K
Finding the Spring Constant: Angular Velocity vs Hooke's Law
Replies
1
Views
5K
B Why is my experimental spring constant an order of magnitude off?
Replies
4
Views
1K
Static measurement of Spring constant with error value
Replies
11
Views
4K
Help with spring constant units
Replies
3
Views
8K
Spring Constant from Best Fit Line - sqrt(m) versus T
Replies
7
Views
11K
Calculating Spring Constant From Plot of T^2 versus r^2
Replies
4
Views
1K
Finding Spring Constant from a slope with a constant x?
Replies
8
Views
7K
Why would the spring constant change?
Replies
8
Views
13K
Mastering Physics Homework about Magnetic field
Replies
4
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top