Plan the investigation
What students will do
Start with a guided comparison, then plan an investigation, analyze a graph, and check a prediction.
- Compare amplitudes. Time three complete oscillations for different initial extensions, keeping mass and spring stiffness unchanged.
- Design and collect. Choose at least five masses with stiffness and initial extension fixed. Plan the same timing method for every trial.
- Linearize the period data. Transform the mass–period relationship and fit a straight line. Use the slope to determine spring stiffness.
- Explain and predict. Evaluate the effects of amplitude and mass, then predict and test the period for an unused mass.
What students will learn
- Distinguish oscillation amplitude from period.
- Time repeated complete cycles consistently.
- Infer spring stiffness from a linearized graph.
Common misconception
Does doubling mass double the period?
Students test a square-root mass dependence while keeping the spring unchanged.