Hook’s law: Experiment with elastic bands which is based

on the Hook’s law’s principles:

Introduction
This scientific article investigates the relationship between the number of rubber
bands and their stretching capabilities under a constant force of 536.6g. By exploring
this relationship, the aim is to understand the principles of elasticity, specifically
Hooke's Law.
The experiment will be a demonstration of how elastic materials behave under
external forces and reflect how the theories of Hooke's Law are present in real-world
scenarios. Understanding this relationship is crucial in fields like engineering and
material science, where elastic materials play a significant role.

Background information:
Hooke’s law is crucial to the understanding of the experiment.
Hooke’s law is a rule which states that any
elastic material stretches proportionally to the
force applied. Therefore, if we triple the force
applied, the extension (not the original length)
will triple itself too. Moreover, another principle
stated in the law is that the more you stretch
the elastic material, rubber bands for instance
the harder it will be to pull even more,
deforming the material’s shape, nevertheless,
always getting back to its original shape.

This law, as almost all physics rules have a formula based on its principles, and it is
the following one:
F= K · Δx

F: Force applied in newtons

K: Spring constant (Reflect how elastic is a material) It is expressed in N
Δx: The change in length or deformation.

Hypothesis:
My guess to what the results of the experiment will be are that, as the number of
elastic bands increases, the stretching capacity in relation to the constant weight will
decreases.
This means, that every time we are increasing the quantity of bands, the force must
need to be greater to deform the bands. My guess is that it is due to the fact, that all
the bands would distribute their force. Therefore, being more difficult to deform and
increase the enlargement.

Materials:
For being able to do the experiment we’ll need the following materials:
 5 Rubber bands
 Ruler
 Cello tape
 Pencil case (As the wheight)
 Scale

Method:
For taking into terms this experiment, we had to follow the following steps:
1. First, measure the elastic rubber band using a ruler. Stick the ruler vertically to
the table with double-sided tape and with the starting point at 0,00cm.
2. Next, weight the pencil case (536.6g) using a weighing machine. Attach the
pencil case to the rubber band by tying it to the zipper.
3. Measure the stretch distance of the rubber band with the weight (536.6g)
attached. It stretched to 22.5cm from its original 10cm.
 4. Calculate the lengthening by subtracting the original length from the stretched
length: 22.5cm - 10cm = 12.5cm.
5. Repeat the process to make sure everything is accurately measured.
6. Now, repeat the same procedure with two rubber bands attached to the pencil
case. The total stretch length is 13.5cm, indicating a 3.5cm elongation due to
the weight.
7. Repeat the process with three, four, and five rubber bands attached to the
pencil case, noting the stretch lengths each time.
8. You finished the experiment.

Results:
Raw data:
After doing the experiment we got all this results:
First try:
Number of elastic Weight applied Final length
rubber bands
1 0g 10cm
1 536,6g 22,5 cm
2 536,6g 13,5 cm
3 536,6g 12cm
4 536,6g 11,5cm
5 536,6g 10,5cm

Second try:
Number of elastic Weight applied Final length
rubber bands
1 0g 10cm
1 536,6g 22,5 cm
2 536,6g 13,5 cm
3 536,6g 12cm
4 536,6g 11,5cm
5 536,6g 10,5cm

Third try:
Number of elastic Weight applied Final length
rubber bands
1 0g 10cm
1 536,6g 22,5 cm
2 536,6g 13,5 cm
3 536,6g 12cm
4 536,6g 11,5cm
 5 536,6g 10,5cm
We have the same results in all of them that means that everything is correct, and we
will continue to work with the table.

Processed data:
Although this calculation is simple, it is important to make clear how it is done:
In order to know how many centimetre did it stretch, we need to subtract:
Number of Weight Original length Final length Strechment
elastic rubber applied (Final length –
bands original length)
1 0g 10 cm 10cm 0cm
1 536,6g 10 cm 22,5cm 12,5cm
2 536,6g 10 cm 13,5cm 3,5cm
3 536,6g 10cm 12cm 2cm
4 536,6g 10cm 11,5cm 1,5cm
5 536,6g 10cm 10,5cm 0,5cm

To continue we should also get to know the spring constant, basing ourselves in the
following formula:
To do this we need to bear in mind that we have got:
Weight: 536,6g
Length: Varies

To know the actual spring constant, we must follow the following formula:
Weight (N) / length in cm =spring constant

As we don’t know the weight in newtons, we should figure it out:

To transform weight expressed in grams (536,6g) to newtons we need to divide by

1000 and then multiply by gravity (9.81):
(536,6 / 1000) · 9,81 =5,26 N

Knowing this we can calculate de spring constant of each of the data :

Weight in Newtons / length in cm =spring constant

Weight in Length in Spring

newtons cm constant:
5,26 0 0
5,26 12,5 0,4208
5,26 3,5 1,50
5,26 2 2,63
5,26 1,5 3,51
5,26 0,5 10,52

Here we have got the spring constant of each attempts with different rubber bands
quantity. Represented in a graph look like this:

Analisys data:
After putting all the info in the table, I have arrived to the following conclusions.
Basing myself on the Hooke’s law’s theories and the description of spring constant, I
can fully say that the results I have collected follow these principles.

To start with I might say that when observing this graph and the number which led to
it I can see a really accurate definition of what a spring constant is, and the formulas
which led to it:
“The larger the spring constant, the stiffer the spring and the more difficult it is to
stretch.”
We can observe that every time the spring constant increases, and so this means
that the spring is every time more difficult to stretch, being stiffer. These calculations
make a lot of sensebecausee of the fact that we are adding everytime more and
more rubberbands, making the whole force more difficult to strech, as all the
oopposite force is being shared among the bands, therefore they are all as a group
more resistant.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, our experiment confirmed that as the spring constant increased, the
spring became harder to stretch, indicating greater stiffness. This follows with
Hooke's Law and basic principles of elasticity.
The experiment really did illustrate concepts which we wanted to understand and
demonstrated the way in which physics principles are seen in in real-life scenarios.
This insight did really engage me to go on with the experiment, as it made it made
my want to learn about it due to the fact it showed relevant in everyday’s life.
Consequently, the experiment not only enhanced my understanding of the subject
matter but also made me more interested and motivated to explore about it.

Bibliography:
Hodge Hill College. (2021, 1 marzo). Physics - Hooke’s law KS3 [Vídeo]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6LZOtD4SOc
What is Hooke’s Law? (article) | Khan Academy. (s. f.). Khan Academy.
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/work-and-energy/hookes-law/a/what-
is-hookes-law
Admin. (2022, 5 julio). What is Hooke’s Law? - Formula, Graph, Experiment Hooke’s
Law Of Elasticity. BYJUS. https://byjus.com/physics/hookes-law-equation-
experiment/
Holzner, S. (2022, 23 diciembre). How to Calculate a Spring Constant Using Hookes
Law dummies. Dummies.
https://www.dummies.com/article/academics-the-arts/science/physics/how-to-
calculate-a-spring-constant-using-hookes-law-174221/

Fotos:
Jackson’s Art Supplies. (2017, 16 marzo). Handover : Ruler : Steel Ruler : 30 cm
(12in). https://www.jacksonsart.com/es-es/handover-ruler-steel-ruler-30-cm-12in
Descubre los mejores recursos gratuitos de Pencil Case. (2021, 6 diciembre).
Freepik. https://www.freepik.es/fotos-vectores-gratis/pencil-case
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, 10 enero). Rubber band. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_band