Why does the spring constant go down after a specific mass?

[boii]

I have been conducting a lab to find the force of a spring by calculating the oscillatory motion of the period. Each time i added a mass, i gained a higher spring constant, but on the 250g i ended up losing spring constant. I was wondering if anyone know why, or if i have done something wrong? The thumbnail i posted will have a better description of what i am trying to say.

 

[hilbert2]

That's just because in practice, real-life springs behave nonlinearly (don't perfectly obey Hooke's law). In other words, the spring potential energy is not just $V=\frac{1}{2}k(x-x_0)^2$ but also contains higher order terms in $(x-x_0)$. Hooke's law works well only for small displacements.

 

[boii]

That's just because in practice, real-life springs behave nonlinearly (don't perfectly obey Hooke's law). In other words, the spring potential energy is not just $V=\frac{1}{2}k(x-x_0)^2$ but also contains higher order terms in $(x-x_0)$. Hooke's law works well only for small displacements.

So for this instance on my lab report, should i record down because it doesn't perfectly obey hooke's law?

 

[hilbert2]

Yes, that's what I would write in the report if I were you.

 

[HalfLostAndSearching]

The spring constant, also known as the spring stiffness, is a measure of the stiffness of a spring. It is defined as the force required to stretch or compress a spring by a certain length. The higher the spring constant, the stiffer the spring and the more force it takes to stretch or compress it.

In your lab, you have been adding mass to the spring and measuring the resulting spring constant. This is a common method for determining the spring constant of a spring. However, it is important to note that the spring constant is not a fixed value and can change depending on various factors.

One factor that can affect the spring constant is the mass of the object attached to the spring. As you add more mass to the spring, the force required to stretch or compress the spring also increases. This is because the added mass adds to the overall load on the spring, causing it to stretch or compress more.

However, there is a limit to how much mass a spring can support before it reaches its maximum stretch or compression. Once this limit is reached, adding more mass will not result in a higher spring constant. In fact, it may even cause the spring to lose some of its stiffness, resulting in a decrease in the spring constant.

It is possible that in your experiment, the 250g mass was the point at which the spring reached its maximum load and could no longer support any additional mass. This would explain why you saw a decrease in the spring constant at this point.

It is also important to note that there could be other factors at play, such as the quality or condition of the spring, that could affect the spring constant. It is always a good idea to repeat experiments and take multiple measurements to ensure accuracy and account for any discrepancies.

In conclusion, the spring constant can decrease after a specific mass is added due to the spring reaching its maximum load or other factors that may affect its stiffness. It is important to carefully consider all factors and repeat experiments to ensure accurate results.