Hooke's Law Simulation — README
An interactive physics lab simulation for Hooke's Law. Students hang masses from a virtual spring, record data, graph Force vs. Stretch, and discover the spring constant — mirroring the hands-on lab experience.
🔗 Live Demo
View on GitHub Pages
Two Modes
🔬 Lab Mode (default)
A virtual version of the Hooke's Law lab. Students:
- Add masses in 50 g increments to a vertical spring
- Observe the spring stretch to equilibrium (with settling animation)
- Click "Record Data Point" to capture each trial
- Build a Force vs. Stretch graph point-by-point
- Toggle a best-fit line to discover the slope = spring constant k
Features:
- Ring stand, vertical spring, ruler, and colorful stacking masses
- Data table (8 trials) matching the lab worksheet format
- Live Force vs. Stretch scatter plot with labeled data points
- Best-fit line toggle showing slope (k) in N/m
- 🔒 Teacher Mode: hidden spring constant (randomized on load), adjustable via slider
🎮 Free Play Mode
An interactive Simple Harmonic Motion simulation. Students explore:
- Adjustable spring constant, mass, displacement, and damping
- Real-time displacement and velocity graphs
- Energy distribution bar (PE ↔ KE)
- Force arrows and position trails
Technologies
- HTML5 Canvas for rendering
- Vanilla JavaScript (no dependencies)
- CSS3 for responsive layout
- MathJax for equation rendering
Lab Alignment
This simulation is designed to complement the Hooke's Law Lab worksheet:
- Part 1: Predictions (Guided Exploration tab)
- Part 2: Equipment (virtual ring stand, masses, ruler)
- Part 3: Procedure (add mass → record → repeat)
- Part 4: Analysis (graph, best-fit line, slope)
- Part 5: Model building (F = kx discovery)
Usage
Open index.html in any modern browser, or visit the GitHub Pages link above.
© 2026 Vladimir Lopez | The Thinking Experiment
