A playground swing consists of a light seat suspended by two identical ropes of…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A playground swing consists of a light seat suspended by two identical ropes of length 2.50 m. Treat the motion of the seat and child as that of a simple pendulum undergoing small oscillations. When the child is released from rest at t=0, the seat is displaced 0.10 m horizontally from its equilibrium position.
Answer the questions that follow.
(1) Calculate the period of the swing’s oscillation.
(2) Determine the displacement of the seat 0.60 s after release. State the direction (toward or away from equilibrium) as well as the magnitude.
(3) Compute the speed and the magnitude of the acceleration of the seat at t=0.60s.
(4) Suppose the initial horizontal displacement were doubled to 0.20 m while all other conditions remained the same. Describe quantitatively how, if at all, the period would change. Justify your answer.