Final answer:
The spring constant k can be determined by using Hooke's Law, which requires measuring the force applied to a spring and the resulting displacement, and then calculating k as the ratio of force to displacement.
Step-by-step explanation:
To experimentally determine the spring constant k, you can use Hooke's Law, which states that the force F needed to stretch or compress a spring by a distance x is proportional to that distance. This relation is often expressed as F = kx, where k is the spring constant in units of newtons per meter (N/m). By measuring the force applied and the corresponding distance the spring is stretched or compressed from the equilibrium position, you can calculate k as the ratio of the force to the displacement. Typically, in a physics lab, this would involve hanging weights from the spring and recording the spring's elongation, or using a sensor to measure the force applied while manually displacing the spring a known distance. Plotting the restoring forces against displacements will yield a straight line for a system following Hooke's law, and the slope of the line gives the spring constant k.
As per the given options, the most direct method to determine k is to: Use Hooke's Law and measure the force for different displacements (Option B). This requires measuring both the force applied to the spring and the distance the spring stretches or compresses, which are the only two variables needed to calculate the spring constant.