Spring & Hooke's Law Simulator
Pull a mass on a spring and explore oscillation, period, damping and energy.
About the Spring & Hooke's Law Simulator
Free spring-mass simulation. Drag the mass, change spring constant, mass and damping, and see period, frequency, energy bars and a live position graph. Built for physics, the spring & hooke's law simulator 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 mass on a spring and explore oscillation, period, damping and energy. 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 Spring & Hooke's Law Simulator
- Use the controls to change Spring constant k, Mass, Damping. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Press "Pause", "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
- Drag the block and release it.
- Double the mass and see the period grow.
- Add damping and watch the oscillation fade.
- Stiffen the spring.
Key ideas you can learn
- Hooke's law: the spring force is F = −kx.
- The period is T = 2π√(m/k). A stiffer spring or a lighter mass oscillates faster.
- Energy swaps between kinetic and elastic potential, and damping slowly removes it.
Where this is used in the real world
Springs are in car suspensions, mattresses, pens and watches. Engineers tune spring constants and damping to control vibrations and comfort.
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 simple harmonic motion?
Motion where the restoring force is proportional to displacement, giving a smooth sine-wave oscillation. A mass on an ideal spring is the classic example.
Does amplitude change the period?
Not for an ideal spring. The period depends only on mass and spring constant.
Is the Spring & Hooke's Law Simulator 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 Spring & Hooke's Law Simulator 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.