Hooke’s Law Equation Experiment - Definition, FAQs

Hooke’s Law Equation Experiment - Definition, FAQs

Edited By Vishal kumar | Updated on Jul 02, 2025 04:30 PM IST

Over the ages, many innovators have worked hard to create a variety of devices. They're all predicated on a thorough comprehension of the mechanics. Before using, operators need to have a basic understanding of mechanics. One of these is Hooke's law. The most commonly employed device in this law is the spring. This aids in the definition of elasticity, torsion, and force laws. Hooke's law is applicable within the spring's valid elastic limit. The only attribute that allows the spring to remain in a limited space is its elasticity. The spring will lose its property if it breaks. In this article, we will discuss state Hooke's law of elasticity, Hooke's law definition, Hooke's law formula, the application of Hooke's law, Hooke's law graph, what is elastic limit and disadvantages of Hooke's law.

This Story also Contains
  1. What is Hooke's Law
  2. Hooke's Law Experiment
  3. Hooke’s Law Formula
  4. State Hooke's Law of Elasticity
  5. Application of Hooke's Law
  6. Explain the Stress-Strain Diagram
  7. Disadvantages Of Hooke's Law
  8. What is Elastic Limit
  9. Solved Examples Based on Hooke's law
Hooke’s Law Equation Experiment - Definition, FAQs
Hooke’s Law Equation Experiment - Definition, FAQs

What is Hooke's Law

Hooke's law definition: This law states that the strain is proportional to stress applied to the material within the elastic limit. Hooke's Law is regarded as one of the finest physics principles.

In the 17th century, British physicist Robert Hooke developed. He established a link between the numerous forces applied to a spring and its elasticity.

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Hooke's Law Experiment

Hookes law experiment

The experiment aims to find the spring constant using Hooke's law

The procedures included in the experiment are:

Attach the spring vertically to a stand and measure the initial length of the spring. Now attach a known weight to the spring and measure the length which is extended. Repeat the process for different weights and mark down the length measurement. Plot a graph with applied force on the y-axis and extension on the x-axis. The slope of this graph represents the spring constant.

Hooke’s Law Formula

$$
F_S=-k x
$$

where,

  • $F_S$ is the restoring force exerted by the spring
  • $k$ is the spring constant
  • $x$ is the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position

Hooke's law is applicable within the spring's valid elastic limit. The only attribute that allows the spring to remain in a limited space is its elasticity. The spring will lose its property if it breaks.

Hooke's Law, on the other hand, only works in a narrow context. This is analogous to the most fundamental law of mechanics. This is because no material can be crushed or stretched beyond a specific minimum or maximum size.

State Hooke's Law of Elasticity

There is no way to permanently distort or modify the state of the spring. Hooke's law is only relevant when a small amount of force or deformation is involved. Consider the fact that many materials will diverge dramatically from Hooke's law. This is due to their extremely pliable boundaries.

Some general types of physics can relate Hooke's Law to Newton's rules of static equilibrium since they are mutually compatible. When stress and strain are evaluated simultaneously, the accurate relationship between strain and stress for complicated objects may be traced.

This relationship is entirely dependent on the intrinsic qualities of materials. Consider the case of a homogeneous rod with a uniform cross-section. During the stretching, this rod will function as a basic spring.

The stiffness (k) of the rod is related to the area of the rod's cross-section. Too, according to the law of elasticity, it is inversely proportional to its length.

Application of Hooke's Law

  1. They measure weight in devices like luggage scales and weighing machines.
  2. Used in braces to align teeth
  3. Used in trampoline
  4. Used to determine the elastic properties of materials
  5. Used in musical instruments like guitar and violin
  6. Used in beds and mattresses to provide support and comfy
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Explain the Stress-Strain Diagram

stress-strain diagram

Hooke's law graph, also known as stress-strain, shows the relationship between the stress of a material and the resulting strain. The mechanical properties of a material can be determined by illustrating Hooke's law graph.

The key characteristics of Hooke's law graph are:

Proportional limit: This region follows Hooke's law that is, stress is directly proportional to strain.

  • Elastic limit: Hooke's law is not applicable in this region but material can regain its original shape.
  • Yield Point: It's the end of the elastic region. The material cannot return to its original shape and is permanently deformed even after the stress is removed.
  • Plastic Region: The material undergoes permanent deformation and the stress increases nonlinearly with strain.
  • Ultimate Stress Point: If a material goes beyond this region, it starts to weaken. This is the region in which a material can withstand the maximum stress.
  • Fracture point: Material breaks in this region.

Disadvantages Of Hooke's Law

  1. Hooke's law is applicable only within the elastic limit.
  2. It does not apply to non-linear materials like rubber and polymers.
  3. The law depends on temperature.

What is Elastic Limit

The elastic limit is the maximum stress that can be applied to a material without getting permanently deformed. When the force is removed the material goes back to its original shape and Hooke's law is also applicable. Beyond the elastic limit, the material will be deformed and does not return to its original shape.

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Solved Examples Based on Hooke's law

Example 1: Hooke's law essentially defines

1) stress

2) strain

3) yield point

4) elastic limit

Solution

Hooke's Law

stress $\propto$ strain

stress strain =$E$

wherein

$E$= modulus of elasticity

Hence, the answer is the option (4).

Example 2: A uniformly tapering conical wire is made from a material of Young’s modulus Y and has a normal, unextended length L. The radii, at the upper and lower ends of this conical wire, have values R and 3R, respectively. The upper end of the wire is fixed to a rigid support and a mass M is suspended from its lower end. The equilibrium extended length, of this wire, would equal

1. $L\left(1+\frac{29 M g}{\pi Y R^2}\right)$
2. $L\left(1+\frac{13 M g}{\pi Y R^2}\right)$
3. $L\left(1+\frac{19 M g}{\pi Y R^2}\right)$
4. $L\left(1+\frac{23 M g}{\pi Y R^2}\right)$

Solution:

Young Modulus

The ratio of normal stress to longitudinal strain

it denoted by Y
Y= Normal stress longitudinal strain

wherein

$$
Y=\frac{F / A}{\Delta l / L}
$$


Where:

  • F: Applied force
  • $A$ : Area
  • $\Delta l$ : Change in length
  • $L$ : Original length

hookes law

$\begin{gathered}r-R x=3 R-R L \quad \Rightarrow \quad r=R\left(1+2 \frac{x}{L}\right) \\ Y=\frac{m g}{\pi R^2} \cdot \frac{d L}{d x} \Rightarrow \quad d L=\frac{m g}{\pi R^2} \cdot \frac{d x}{\left(1+2 \frac{x}{L}\right)^2} \\ \Delta L=\frac{m g L}{Y \pi R^2} \int_0^L \frac{d x}{\left(1+2 \frac{x}{L}\right)^2} \quad \Rightarrow \quad \Delta L=\frac{m g L}{Y \pi R^2} \cdot \frac{1}{1+2 \frac{x}{L}} \\ L^{\prime}=L+\Delta L=L\left(1+\frac{13 m g}{\pi R^2 Y}\right)\end{gathered}$

Hence, the answer is the option (2).

Example 3: A wire elongates by l mm when a load W is hung from it. If the wire goes over a pulley and two weights W each are hung at the two ends, the elongation of the wire will be (in mm )

1) l/2
2) l
3) 2 L
4) zero

Solution:

Young Modulus

The ratio of normal stress to longitudinal strain

it denoted by Y
Y= Normal stress longitudinal strain

wherein

$$
Y=\frac{F / A}{\Delta l / L}
$$


Where:

  • F: Applied force
  • $A$ : Area
  • $\Delta l$ : Change in length
  • $L$ : Original length

elongation of wire

At equilibrium $T=W$ :

$$
Y=\frac{W / A}{\Delta l / L}
$$
Now, in case (ii), $T=W$ :
Let the new elongation be $\Delta l$.

$$
Y=\frac{W}{A} \cdot \frac{L}{\Delta l}
$$
So,

$$
\Delta l=\frac{W L}{A Y}
$$

i.e. Elongation is the same.

Hence, the answer is the option (2).

Example 4: A sonometer wire of length 1.5 m is made of steel. The tension in it produces an elastic strain of 1%. What is the fundamental frequency (in Hz ) of steel if the density and elasticity of steel are $7.7 \times 103 \mathrm{~kg} / \mathrm{m}^3$ and $2.2 \times 1011 \mathrm{~N} / \mathrm{m}^2$ respectively?

1) 770

2) 188.5

3) 178.2

4) 200.5

Solution:

Young Modulus

The ratio of normal stress to longitudinal strain

$$
Y=\frac{F / A}{\Delta l / L}
$$

Where:
- F: Applied force
- $A$ : Area
- $\Delta l$ : Change in length
- $L$ : Original length

Fundamental frequency:

$$
\begin{gathered}
v=\frac{1}{2 L} \cdot \sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}=\frac{1}{2 L} \sqrt{\frac{T}{\rho A}} \\
\rho=\frac{1}{2} \times 1.5 Y \times \text { strain }=\frac{1}{3} \cdot 2.2 \times 10^{11} \cdot 10^{-27.7 \times 10^3}=178.2 \mathrm{~Hz}
\end{gathered}
$$

Hence, the answer is the option (3).

Example 5: Young's moduli of two wires A and B are in the ratio 7:4. Wire A is 2 m long and has a radius of R. Wire B is 1.5 m long and has a radius of 2 mm. If the two wires stretch by the same length for a given load, then the value of R (in mm) is close to:

1) 1.5

2) 1.9

3) 1.7

4) 1.3

Solution:

$\begin{aligned} Y & =\frac{F}{A} \cdot \frac{\Delta l}{L} \\ Y & =\frac{F L}{\pi r_A^2 \Delta l_A} \times \frac{\pi r_B^2 \Delta l_B}{F L_B} \\ 74 & =2 \times\left(r_A\right)^2 \times 22 \times 1.5 \\ r_A^2 & =4 \times 2 \times 22 \times 1.5 \times 7 \\ r_A & =1.7 \mathrm{~mm}\end{aligned}$

Hence, the answer is the option (3).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is Hooke's Law?

Hooke’s Law Statement: Hooke's law is a physical law states that the force (F) required to extend or compress a spring by some distance (x) scales linearly with respect to that distance—that is, Fs = kx, where k is a constant factor characteristic of the spring (i.e., its stiffness) and x is small in comparison to the total possible spring deformation. 

2. What is Hooke's Law?
Hooke's Law states that the force needed to extend or compress a spring is directly proportional to the distance of extension or compression. It's expressed mathematically as F = kx, where F is the force, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement from the spring's equilibrium position.
3. Compile a list of Hooke's Law applications.

Hooke's Law can be applied to the following situations:

1. Hooke's Law is applied in every discipline of science and engineering.

2. It is the underlying principle of manometers, spring scales, and clock balance wheels.

3. Seismology, acoustics, and molecular mechanics are all built on this foundation.

4. Determine the force constant if a 200 N force stretches a spring by 1.8 m.

The parameters are as follows: Force F = 200 N,


x = 1.8 m in length.


Hooke’s law equation is:     


Fs = -kx


-F / x = k


k = (–200 / 1.8)


k = (–360 N/m)

5. What is Hooke's law equation for a spring?

Mathematically, Hooke's law states that the applied force F equals a constant k times the displacement or change in length x, or F = kx.

6. What are the Hooke's Law's Limitations?

Despite the fact that Hooke's law is often utilised in engineering, it is not a universal principle. When a material's elastic limit is exceeded, the law is no longer valid. When the deformations are modest, Hooke's law usually gives accurate findings for sold particles. Even before reaching the elastic limit, several materials diverge from Hooke's law.

7. How can Hooke's Law be used to measure force?
Hooke's Law allows us to use springs as force measuring devices. By calibrating a spring (determining its spring constant) and then measuring its extension when an unknown force is applied, we can calculate the magnitude of that force using F = kx.
8. Can Hooke's Law be used to describe the behavior of composite materials?
While composite materials can be complex, Hooke's Law can often be applied to describe their overall behavior, especially for small deformations. However, the effective spring constant or elastic modulus may depend on the properties and arrangement of the constituent materials.
9. How can you determine the spring constant experimentally?
To determine the spring constant, you can hang different masses from the spring, measure the extension for each mass, and plot a graph of force (weight of the masses) against extension. The slope of this graph gives the spring constant k.
10. How does the concept of work relate to Hooke's Law?
The work done in stretching or compressing a spring is equal to the area under the force-displacement graph. For a linear spring obeying Hooke's Law, this work is given by W = ½kx², where x is the total displacement.
11. What's the significance of the area under a stress-strain curve?
The area under a stress-strain curve represents the energy absorbed by the material during deformation. For materials obeying Hooke's Law, this area is triangular up to the elastic limit, representing the elastic strain energy stored in the material.
12. Why is Hooke's Law important in physics?
Hooke's Law is crucial because it describes the behavior of elastic materials under stress, which is fundamental in understanding the mechanical properties of solids. It's widely applicable in engineering, material science, and everyday objects like springs in mattresses or shock absorbers in vehicles.
13. What does the spring constant 'k' represent in Hooke's Law?
The spring constant 'k' represents the stiffness of the spring. A higher k value means the spring is stiffer and requires more force to stretch or compress it. It's measured in units of force per unit length, typically N/m (Newtons per meter).
14. Is Hooke's Law always valid?
No, Hooke's Law is only valid within the elastic limit of a material. Beyond this limit, materials may deform permanently or behave non-linearly. Most materials only follow Hooke's Law for small deformations.
15. What's the difference between elastic and plastic deformation?
Elastic deformation is reversible
16. Can Hooke's Law be applied to materials other than springs?
Yes, Hooke's Law can be applied to any material that exhibits elastic behavior under small deformations. This includes many solids like metals, rubber bands, and even some biological materials like tendons.
17. What's the relationship between Hooke's Law and potential energy?
The potential energy stored in a spring obeying Hooke's Law is given by U = ½kx², where k is the spring constant and x is the displacement. This energy is stored when the spring is compressed or stretched and can be converted to kinetic energy when released.
18. How does temperature affect Hooke's Law?
Temperature can affect the spring constant k. Generally, as temperature increases, the spring constant decreases slightly, making the spring less stiff. However, this effect is often negligible for small temperature changes in most materials.
19. What's the significance of the negative sign in F = -kx?
The negative sign indicates that the force exerted by the spring is always opposite to the displacement. When stretched, the spring pulls back; when compressed, it pushes out. This is known as a restoring force.
20. How is Hooke's Law related to simple harmonic motion?
Hooke's Law is the underlying principle of simple harmonic motion. The restoring force described by Hooke's Law causes objects like masses on springs to oscillate in a regular, periodic manner, which is characteristic of simple harmonic motion.
21. Can Hooke's Law be applied in three dimensions?
Yes, Hooke's Law can be extended to three dimensions. In this case, it's typically expressed using stress and strain tensors, which describe how forces and deformations are distributed in different directions within a material.
22. What's the difference between stress and strain in the context of Hooke's Law?
Stress is the force per unit area applied to an object, while strain is the resulting deformation of the object relative to its original dimensions. Hooke's Law states that stress is proportional to strain within the elastic limit.
23. How does Hooke's Law relate to Young's modulus?
Young's modulus is a measure of a material's stiffness, similar to the spring constant in Hooke's Law. It's defined as the ratio of stress to strain for a material under tension or compression, and it's constant for materials that obey Hooke's Law.
24. What happens when a material is stretched beyond its elastic limit?
When stretched beyond its elastic limit, a material enters the plastic deformation region. Here, Hooke's Law no longer applies, the material doesn't return to its original shape when the force is removed, and it may eventually fracture if stretched further.
25. What's the difference between linear and non-linear springs?
Linear springs follow Hooke's Law exactly, with force proportional to displacement. Non-linear springs have a force-displacement relationship that's not a straight line. Many real springs become non-linear when stretched or compressed beyond a certain point.
26. Can Hooke's Law be applied to fluids?
While Hooke's Law is primarily used for solids, it can be applied to fluids in certain contexts. For example, the bulk modulus of a fluid, which describes its resistance to compression, is analogous to the spring constant in Hooke's Law.
27. What's the relationship between Hooke's Law and the speed of sound in solids?
The speed of sound in a solid is related to its elastic properties, which are described by Hooke's Law. The speed of sound is proportional to the square root of the ratio of the material's elastic modulus to its density.
28. How does Hooke's Law apply to atomic bonds?
At the atomic level, the forces between atoms in a solid can be approximated by Hooke's Law for small displacements. This is why many solids behave elastically under small deformations and why sound waves can propagate through them.
29. What's the difference between isotropic and anisotropic materials in terms of Hooke's Law?
Isotropic materials have the same elastic properties in all directions, so Hooke's Law applies equally regardless of the direction of force. Anisotropic materials have different properties in different directions, so the application of Hooke's Law becomes more complex.
30. How does Hooke's Law relate to the concept of resonance?
Resonance occurs when a system is driven at its natural frequency. For a mass-spring system obeying Hooke's Law, the natural frequency is determined by the spring constant and the mass. Understanding Hooke's Law is crucial for predicting and analyzing resonance phenomena.
31. How does Hooke's Law relate to the concept of mechanical waves?
Mechanical waves, such as sound waves in solids, propagate due to the restoring forces between particles. These forces can often be described by Hooke's Law, making it fundamental to understanding wave propagation in elastic media.
32. Can Hooke's Law be used to describe the behavior of biological materials?
Many biological materials exhibit elastic behavior for small deformations and can be approximated using Hooke's Law. Examples include tendons, ligaments, and even DNA molecules. However, biological materials often have complex, non-linear behaviors beyond the elastic regime.
33. How does damping affect systems described by Hooke's Law?
Damping introduces energy dissipation into a system, causing oscillations to decrease over time. While Hooke's Law describes the restoring force in an oscillating system, damping forces are often added separately to model real-world behavior more accurately.
34. What's the relationship between Hooke's Law and the concept of mechanical impedance?
Mechanical impedance is a measure of how much a structure resists motion when subjected to a force. For a simple spring system obeying Hooke's Law, the mechanical impedance is directly related to the spring constant and the frequency of applied force.
35. How does hysteresis relate to Hooke's Law?
Hysteresis occurs when a material's response to an applied force depends on its history of deformation. While Hooke's Law describes ideal elastic behavior without hysteresis, real materials often exhibit some degree of hysteresis, especially when deformed significantly.
36. Can Hooke's Law be applied to nanoscale systems?
At the nanoscale, the behavior of materials can deviate from macroscopic predictions. However, Hooke's Law is often still a useful approximation for describing the elastic behavior of nanostructures like carbon nanotubes or atomic force microscope cantilevers.
37. What's the significance of the yield point in relation to Hooke's Law?
The yield point marks the transition from elastic to plastic deformation. Up to this point, a material obeys Hooke's Law and deforms reversibly. Beyond the yield point, the material's behavior becomes non-linear and Hooke's Law no longer applies.
38. How does Hooke's Law apply to torsional springs?
For torsional springs, Hooke's Law is expressed as τ = κθ, where τ is the torque, κ is the torsional spring constant, and θ is the angle of twist. This is analogous to the linear form of Hooke's Law but applies to rotational motion.
39. Can Hooke's Law be used to describe the behavior of non-Newtonian fluids?
Non-Newtonian fluids have complex, often time-dependent behaviors that generally can't be described by Hooke's Law. However, some non-Newtonian fluids may exhibit elastic-like behavior under certain conditions, where Hooke's Law might be applicable as an approximation.
40. How does Hooke's Law relate to the concept of fatigue in materials?
While Hooke's Law describes elastic behavior, fatigue occurs due to repeated stress cycles, even within the elastic regime. Understanding the elastic behavior described by Hooke's Law is crucial for predicting and analyzing fatigue in materials under cyclic loading.
41. What's the relationship between Hooke's Law and the speed of transverse waves on a string?
The speed of transverse waves on a string depends on the tension in the string and its linear density. The tension acts as a restoring force similar to a spring force in Hooke's Law, making Hooke's Law fundamental to understanding wave propagation on strings.
42. How does the concept of strain energy density relate to Hooke's Law?
Strain energy density is the energy stored per unit volume in a deformed material. For materials obeying Hooke's Law, the strain energy density is proportional to the square of the strain, mirroring the quadratic form of potential energy in a spring (U = ½kx²).
43. Can Hooke's Law be applied to describe the behavior of auxetic materials?
Auxetic materials have a negative Poisson's ratio, meaning they expand laterally when stretched longitudinally. While this behavior seems counterintuitive, these materials can still obey Hooke's Law for small deformations, albeit with some unique elastic constants.
44. How does Poisson's ratio relate to Hooke's Law?
Poisson's ratio describes how a material expands in directions perpendicular to the direction of compression. While not directly part of Hooke's Law, it's an important parameter in the full three-dimensional description of elastic behavior in materials.
45. How does Hooke's Law relate to the concept of mechanical advantage in simple machines?
While Hooke's Law itself doesn't directly describe mechanical advantage, understanding elastic behavior is crucial in designing and analyzing many simple machines that involve springs or elastic elements, such as certain types of levers or spring scales.

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