Momentum: Physics Education Journal
Vol 4 No 1 (2020)

Measurement of spring constants of various spring-mass systems by using smartphones: a teaching proposal

Mustafa Erol (Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey)
Kadir Hocaoğlu (Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey)
Şeyda Kaya (Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Apr 2020

Abstract

This study aims to develop a teaching proposal to measure spring constants of various spring-mass systems by means of the smartphones. Specifically, a single spring-mass system, a serial connected and a parallel connected spring systems are experi-mentally resolved, by using the ambient light sensor of the smartphones. The measurements are achieved by simply recording the light intensity, detected by the oscillating smartphone, as a function of time for the simple harmonic motion. Using the light intensity-time graphs, the average periods and eventually the spring constants are estimated and the outcomes are compared with the theoretical results. The overall outcomes of the work indicate some 3,3 % relative error for the serial connected springs and 10,8 % relative error for the parallel connected springs. The approach is important in the sense that the apparatus directly plots instantaneous momentum-time graphs and it creates an enjoyable and beneficial teaching atmosphere.

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