Center Focus

Spring Into Science

  1. You will need a spring and metric weight set for this center. Many schools have these sets. If you don't, you may substitute springs from some of the larger ball point pens, and washers for weights.
  2. Have students work in pairs to do this experiment. They will need to attach a spring to a hook mounted on a table or the wall.
  3. Have students predict what will happen when weights are added to the end of the spring.
  4. They will first need to measure the spring with no weight and record the data. They will need to make a simple chart to continue recording length vs. weight.
  5. Have some general questions prepared for students to answer after they have completed the experiment, such as:
    • What happens to the length of the spring as the mass increases?
    • What is the independent variable? Dependent variable?
    • What might happen if another spring was attached to the first one?
  6. Have students make general conclusions about the properties of a spring.