Learning About the Spring Scale

In your Personal Lab kit you will find a blue Spring Scale. Note the spring that is visible through the clear plastic tube, and also the two scales labeled on either side of the plastic tube. How do you think the Spring Scale functions, and what does it measure? Suspend one or two fishing weights from the Spring Scale hook, and hold the Spring Scale in a vertical position. What happens to the scale readings on the sides of the clear plastic tube? Compare the spring you see through the clear plastic tube with the Slinky. What are the differences you notice between the two springs? What are the similarities? The white scale labeled "N" at the top on the spring scale tube represents measures of the strength with which the hanging fishing weights pull the Spring Scale spring. The downward pull due to the Earth’s gravitational force of attraction is measured in units called Newtons. The black scale on your spring scale is also calibrated to read physically meaningful units. You will be learning about the meaning of these two scales in this exercise.

The black scale on the transparent tube of your Spring Scale is labeled with the unit "g" for grams. The gram scale measures the masses of objects in units of grams. The kilogram is one of the basic units in science, and 1 g = 10^-3 kg. Mass is a characteristic that all objects have. The mass of any object is a measure of the amount of material or "stuff" in an object.

What happens to the spring when you hang one of the large fishing weights from the hooked end of the Spring Scale? How many Newtons of "pull" or "force" do you read on the white scale on the side of the tube? Be sure to make all readings of your Spring Scale with your eye at the level of the blue disk inside the Spring Scale tube. That is, make all of your readings with the scale vertical and your eyes horizontal with the reading on the spring scale. Developing careful and correct habits in taking measurements now will pay off in the long run in the quality of your data and thus your experimental results.

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Last modified 9 Aug 1997
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