Lesson 6: Investigation 1 – Mass on a Spring Revision Notes
Lesson Objectives
Today, we're going to learn about springs and how they stretch when we hang different things on them. It's a fun way to see how force works! By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Grade C: Understand that by adding mass (the amount of stuff in an object) to a spring, the spring will extend (get longer).
Grade B: Explain an experiment (a test we do to learn something) that measures how much a spring stretches when we add different masses to it.
How Mass Affects a Spring
When you hang something on a spring, it pulls down due to gravity (the force that makes things fall to the ground). The more mass you add, the more the spring will stretch out.
Setting Up the Experiment
Start with a spring hanging with nothing on it and measure how long it is.
Hang a small weight on it, like a 10-gram mass holder, and see how much longer the spring gets.
Keep adding more 10-gram weights, one by one, and measure the spring each time to see how it stretches.
Recording Your Results
You can write down:
The mass you added each time (like 10 grams, 20 grams, and so on).
How long the spring was without any mass.
How long the spring is with the mass.
How much longer the spring got each time you added a mass.
Understanding Continuous Data
The amount a spring stretches can be any number. This is continuous data, which means we can make a line graph to show it.
Making a Line Graph
The side of the graph going up (the y-axis) can show how much the spring stretches.
The bottom of the graph going across (the x-axis) can show the different masses you added.
Put a dot for each mass and how much the spring stretched, then connect the dots with a line.
Writing a Conclusion
After the experiment, think about what happened:
Did the spring stretch more when you added more mass?
Was it what you thought would happen in your prediction?
Keywords Simplified
Mass: How much stuff is in something.
Extend: To get longer or stretch out.
Gravity: The force that pulls everything towards the Earth.
Experiment: A test to learn how something works.
This investigation shows us how the spring gets longer when we add more mass, which is a great way to see forces in action. Experiments like this help us understand the rules that everything in the universe follows, even a simple spring!
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