A metal bob hangs from a vertical spring (spring constant )
PHYSICS · Subjective · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A 0.25kg metal bob hangs from a vertical spring (spring constant 30Nm−1). When displaced slightly, the bob can either move vertically along the spring’s axis or swing sideways like a simple pendulum of length 0.45m (distance from suspension point to the bob’s center of mass).
For small oscillations, decide which mode—vertical spring motion or sideways pendulum swing—has the shorter period, and give the numerical value of that shorter period.