When the spring is compressed by a force, it is compressed a distance corresponding to both the strength of the force and a constant value associated with the spring.

In order to explore the properties of a spring, a student performed an experiment with a spring and several weighted objects. The student gathered four balls massing 1, 5, 10 and 20 kg. The student dropped each object from a predetermined height onto the spring. A sensor connecting the spring to his computer measured the displacement of the spring. Using these data, the student was able to calculate the spring constant.

In a second experiment, the weights were hung off a spring and swung back and forth as a pendulum, as in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1. Spring used as pendulum with mass attached at the end.

The period of a pendulum can be calculated using the equation below, where T is the period, L is the length of the pendulum, and g is acceleration due to gravity.

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