Procedure: Students find the return spring that restores the salad tongs to its
open position, when the arm is released. Using a spring scale, they then learn to
measure the force exerted by the return spring against an arm of the tongs. Then,
they use the
Hooking up with Hooke’s Law Worksheet to investigate how this force
varies as the arm moves through its range. The relation ship is described by
something called Hooke’s Law.
First students should look for and sketch the return spring inside the salad tongs.
Then they will develop a method for finding the force exerted by this spring. The
simplest device for measuring force is the spring scale. One minor modification
makes it much easier to use a spring scale. Pass about a foot of string through the
hole that holds the hook, and make a knot in the string. This modification will
make it possible to grab the tongs arm with the measuring end of the scale.
The next task in using a spring scale is to calibrate it. When a scale is
calibrated, the small metal indicator will point to zero, without any force pulling
on the hook or string. To achieve this, push or pull the metal tab on top, to slide
the pointer until it reaches zero.
First students should look for and sketch the return spring inside the salad tongs.
Then they will develop a method for finding the force exerted by this spring. The
simplest device for measuring force is the spring scale. One minor modification
makes it much easier to use a spring scale. Pass about a foot of string through the
hole that holds the hook, and make a knot in the string. This modification will
make it possible to grab the tongs arm with the measuring end of the scale.
The next task in using a spring scale is to calibrate it. When a scale is
calibrated, the small metal indicator will point to zero, without any force pulling
on the hook or string. To achieve this, push or pull the metal tab on top, to slide
the pointer until it reaches zero.
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