The Effect of Applying Weight to an Elastic Band and How it Affects the Length it Stretches To

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The Effect of Applying Weight to an Elastic Band and How it Affects the Length it Stretches To

Aim

In this coursework I will be investigating the effect of applying

weight to an elastic band and how much this affects the length it

stretches to. This will also involve the use of Hooke’s Law and the

Simple Harmonic Motion. I will do in-depth research on Hooke’s Law and

how the force applied affects the change in length of a material.

The apparatus I will be using is listed below:

1. Retort Stand – I will connect this to the clamp

2. Clamp – I will use this with the retort stand to suspend the

elastic band from it

3. Slotted Weights – these will be used to apply different amounts

of forces

4. Rubber Bands (3 of different lengths and thickness) – I will use

these to test Hooke’s Law of elasticity

5. Ruler – to measure the change in elasticity

6. A string – to ensure accurate results when measuring

My Plan

I will start off by suspending a rubber band from the retort stand; I

will then apply different forces to the rubber band and see how the

elasticity changes, with respect to the weight applied. I will measure

the elasticity using the string and then see by how much the

elasticity has changed. I will keep applying weights increasing in 10g

until 100g is reached.

In my experiment I will be varying the rubber band I use hence this is

my independent variable and my results rely on this factor. Each time

I will use a rubber band of different thickness and length. Another

independent variable will be the mass or the weight I apply to the

rubber band. The dependant variable will be t...

... middle of paper ...

...mmonly the case.

Besides the slotted weights may not have been perfectly accurate as

chips could have come off from the ends if and when they fell.

Therefore digital weights would be a much better option. I could also

have ensured the accuracy of my results by using a drawing pin and

attaching it to the retort stand to get a clearer picture of the

amount the band has stretched by.

Further work could be done by using simple harmonic motion. This could

be used as a back-up for finding the constant used in Hooke’s law.

This could be done by measuring the time taken for an oscillation to

occur when force is applied to the band. The reason why I did not do

this in my actual investigation was due to the lack of the equipment

required. A retort stand could not, exactly, be used as you cannot

oscillate an object from it.

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