A mass on a vertical spring executes simple harmonic motion with amplitude
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A 1.5kg mass on a vertical spring executes simple harmonic motion with amplitude 0.18m. Ignore gravity when considering the energy stored in the spring (i.e., measure x from the equilibrium position that already accounts for the static stretch).
(a) Determine the displacement magnitude ∣x∣ at which the kinetic energy of the mass is exactly 75% of the total mechanical energy.
(b) Calculate the numerical value of that displacement in meters.
(c) The same oscillator is restarted with a larger amplitude while all other parameters remain unchanged. State and justify qualitatively how, if at all, the displacement found in part (a) changes.