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  1. Home
  2. Physics Demonstrations and Equipment
  3. Mechanics
  4. Newton's Second Law
  5. Force, Mass, and Acceleration

Force, Mass, and Acceleration Concept

Demonstrations in Force, Mass, and Acceleration

Constant-force spring return reel with three white plastic drums mounted on a metal base plate, with a small coil spring visible at bottom and a pencil shown for scale

Constant Force Spring

Demonstrates that constant-force springs provide uniform tension regardless of extension, contrasting with Hooke's Law springs where force is proportional to displacement. Attaching a mass to the cable produces neutral equilibrium …
Tall wooden frame clamped to lecture bench with vise-grip clamps, metal disk pulley at top, meter stick mounted vertically on the frame, and a small metal stool at the base for height compensation

Simple Atwood Machine

Demonstrates Newton's Second Law quantitatively using two masses connected over a pulley. A small mass imbalance produces measurable constant acceleration, allowing students to compare predicted and measured fall times.

Physics Undergraduate Laboratories
Department of Physics
390 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309

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