Hooks lab lab

Lab: investigating hooked law with springs
 Purpose: to find spring constants of different springs using the slope of a graph of change in heights vs. the weight force. Also, to be able to understand how spring constants change when you add springs in a series or paralle Pre lab predictions:

We predicted that the graph of gravitational force (mg) as a function of stretch (delta x) would look like

Data:
Spring #1:

y = 8.2941x + 0.0685 
This table represents the different distances that each mass caused, for Spring #1.


The slope of this graph represents the k-constant for Spring #1 because of the equation: k = Force / (∆x). The k-constant for Spring #2 is 8.294.
Spring #2

y = 346.576371x + .33182This table represents the different distances that each mass caused, for Spring #2.

The slope of this graph represents the k-constant for Spring #2 because of the equation: k = Force / (∆x). The k-constant for Spring #2 is 346.6.
Spring #3:

This table represents the different distances that each mass caused, for Spring #2. y = 0.01327x + -7.0889

The slope of this graph represents the k-constant for Spring #3 because of the equation: k = Force / (∆x). The k-constant for Spring #3 is 0.013.

Part C:

I think that it takes more force to stretch three springs that are hooked together parallel rather than if they were hooked together in a series. In a parallel series, the force would have to be separated among all the springs. More force is required because it has to spread out among all the springs. After my group and I tested this prediction by placing three identical copper springs next to each other and 3 more identical springs end-to-end, we observed that the weight was distributed evenly when the springs were parallel. It was also apparent that when the springs were placed end to end, the starting height was a lot smaller that the stating height for the parallel springs.
We concluded that more force