Hooke's Law: Springs and Forces
Pull a spring with your mouse and see the force grow in proportion, with a force-displacement graph.
Drag the hand to stretch or compress the spring, or set the applied force with the slider. The force is proportional to the stretch: F = k·x. Compare one spring with two springs in parallel or in series and watch the force–displacement graph and the stored energy.
About the Hooke's Law: Springs and Forces
Free hooke's law: springs and forces. Pull a spring with your mouse and see the force grow in proportion, with a force-displacement graph. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for physics, the hooke's law: springs and forces runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Pull a spring with your mouse and see the force grow in proportion, with a force-displacement graph. Use it to explore physics ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Hooke's Law: Springs and Forces
- Use the controls to change System, Spring 1 stiffness, Spring 2 stiffness (systems), Applied force, Force arrows, and more. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Pick an option such as One spring, Two in parallel, Two in series, On to switch modes or load an example.
- Press "Set to rest (x = 0)", "Reset" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Double the stretch and read the force.
- Compare k = 100 and k = 400.
- Release the handle and watch it oscillate.
Key ideas you can learn
- F = −k x.
- The spring force is proportional to the stretch.
- A stiffer spring has a larger k.
- Stored energy = ½ k x².
Where this is used in the real world
Car suspensions, mattresses, pens, weighing scales and trampolines all use springs.
Who is this simulation for?
Physics students in middle school, high school and first-year university, teachers who want a quick demonstration for the projector, and anyone revising for exams. It works well for flipped classrooms because students can explore before the lesson.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hooke's law?
The force needed to stretch or compress a spring is proportional to the change in its length.
What does the graph slope mean?
The slope of force against displacement is the spring constant k.
Is the Hooke's Law: Springs and Forces free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Hooke's Law: Springs and Forces work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.