From: ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de   
      
   John Hasler  wrote or quoted:   
   >You can measure the spring constant by measuring the spring, applying a   
   >known force, and measuring again.  The spring constant is the force   
   >divided by the change in length.   
   >   
   >Knowing the spring constant you can then hang a mass from it, start it   
   >oscillating, measure the period and decay time constant, and calculate   
   >the damping coefficient.  That way you would be including the effects of   
   >the air.  Hang it from something rigid and massive, of course.   
      
     Yeah, that makes sense.   
      
     I'm probably overthinking this kind of stuff. My first idea was to   
     record the curve and fit it to figure out those parameters.   
      
     But how would you even record a curve? You could film the   
     oscillation with a smartphone on a tripod. After that, you can   
     grab the individual frames using ffmpeg. The data's pretty easy to   
     analyze automatically if you highlight the moving part of the spring   
     - like by sticking a small light on it and filming in the dark.   
      
     Possible expression for fitting: a exp( -bt )cos( ct + d )+ e.   
      
     Possible software for fitting: Python (SciPy + NumPy + Matplotlib),   
     MATLAB, LabVIEW, or GraphPad Prism.   
      
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