(5.

1 Simple Harmonic Motion)

1. A block on the end of a spring is pulled to position x=A and released. Through what total
distance does it travel in one full cycle of its motion?
(a) A/2 (b) A (c) 2A (d)4A
Answer: (b)
2.For a simple harmonic oscillator, which of the following pairs of vector quantities cannot both
point in the same direction? (The position vector is the displacement from equilibrium.)
(a) position and velocity
(b) velocity and acceleration
(c) position and acceleration
Answer: (c)
3. When an object moving in simple harmonic motion is at its maximum displacement from
equilibrium, which of the following is at its maximum?
(a)velocity (b)acceleration (c) kinetic energy
Answer: (b)
4. A mass attached to a spring oscillates with SHM. If the maximum displacement from
equilibrium is A and the total mechanical energy of the system is E, what is the system’s kinetic
energy when the position of the mass is half of its maximum displacement?
(a) E/2 (b) 3E/4 (c) E
5. An object of mass m is attached to a horizontal spring, stretched to a displacement A from
equilibrium and released, undergoing harmonic oscillations on a frictionless surface with period
T0. The experiment is then repeated with a mass of 4m. What’s the new period of oscillation?
(a) 2T0 (b) T0 (c) T0/2 (d) T0/4
Answer: (a) T=2 π √(4m/k)=2*2 π √(m/k)=2T0
6. A object with mass m=4 kg is attached to a spring vibrates in simple harmonic motion with
frequency f. When this object is replaced by one with mass 1 kg, the new object vibrates at a
frequency of
(a) f (b) 2f (c) 4f (d)f/2
Answer: (b) T=2 π √(m/4k)=2 π √(m/k)*1/2=T0/2 f=1/T=2f
8. A simple pendulum is suspended from the ceiling of a stationary elevator, and the period is
measured. If the elevator moves with constant velocity, the period
(a) increase (b) decrease (c) remain the same
Answer: (a)
9. A pendulum with a string of length L swings with a period T. If the string is made twice as long,
the pendulum’s period will be about
(a) T (b) √ 2T (c) 2T
Answer: (b) T1=2 π √( 2 L/ g)=√ 2∗¿ 2 π √( L/g)=√ 2T
10. A spring-mass system is undergoing simple harmonic motion of ampliude 2.0 cm and angular
frequency 10.0 s-1. The acceleration of the mass as it passes through the equilibrium position is
(a) 0.00 m/s2 (b) 0.20 m/s2 (c) 2.0 m/s2 (d) 31.4 m/s2
Answer: (a)
11. When a mass attached to a spring is released from rest 3.0 cm from its equilibrium position, it
oscillates with frequency f. If this mass were instead from rest 6.0 cm from its equilibrium
position, would oscillate with frequency
(a) 2f (b) √ 2f (c) f (d) f/2
Answer: (c)
12. An object with mass m suspended by a spring vibrates with frequency f. When a second
object is attached to the first, the system now vibrates with frequency f/2. The mass of the
second object is
(a) 4m (b) 3m (c) 2m (d) m
Answer: (b)
13. A pendulum on earth swings with angular frequency ω . On an unknown planet, it swings with
angular frequencyω /2. The acceleration due to gravity on this planet is
(a) 4g (b)2g (c)g/2 (d) g/4
Answer: (d) ω =√ (g/ L) g=ω 2L ¿/2)2L=ω 2L/4=g/4
14. An object-spring system oscillates with amplitude of 3.5cm. If the spring constant is 250 N/m
and the object has a mass of 0.5 kg, determine (a) the mechanical energy of the system, (b) the
maximum speed of the object and (c) the maximum acceleration of the object.
Answer:
(a) E=1/2kA2=0.15J
(b) E=1/2mv2 v=0.78m/s
(c) a=k/m*A=17.5 m/s2
15. (a) Find the amplitude, frequency and the period of motion for an object vibrating at the end
of a horizontal spring if the equation for its position as a function of time is x=(0.250 m) cos(
π /4.00 t ). (b) Find the maximum magnitude of the velocity and acceleration.
Answer:
(a) A=0.250 m f= π /( 4.00∗2 π )=0.125Hz T=1/0.125 s=8 s
(b) v=dx/dt=- π /16sin( π /4.00 t ) vm= π /16 m/s
a=dv/dt=- π 2/64cos( π /4.00 t ) am= π 2/64 m/s
16. The motion of an object is described by the equation x=(0.30 m)cos( πt/3 ). Find (a) the
position of the object at t=0 and t=0.60 s, (b) the amplitude of the of the motion, (c) the
frequency of the motion and (d) the period of the motion.
Answer:
(a) t=0 x=0.30 m
t=0.60 s x=0.29998 m
(b) A=0.30 m
(c) f= π /(3∗2 π )=1/6 Hz=0.17 Hz
(d) T=1/f=6 s
17. A man enters a tall tower, needing to know its height. He notes that a long pendulum extends
from the ceiling almost to the floor and that its period is 15.5 s. (a) How tall is the tower? (b) If
this pendulum is taken to the moon, where the free-fall acceleration is 1.67 m/s 2, what is the
period there?
Answer:
(a) T =2 π √( L/g) L=59.70 m
(b) T’=2 π √( L/a)=37.55 s
19. There is a spring oscillator with the amplitude A=2.0×10 -2 m, period T=1.0 s and initial phase
φ=3 π /4 . Write its motion equation.
Answer: ω=2 π /T =2 π x=(2.0×10-2 m)cos(2 πt+3 π / 4 )
20. If the equation of a simple harmonic motion is x1=0.01cos(20 πt+ π / 4), where the unit of x
and t are m and s, respectively. (1) What is the amplitude, the frequency, the angular frequency,
the period and the initial phase? (2) What is the displacement, the velocity and the acceleration
at t=2 s?
Answer:
(1) A=0.01 m f=20 π /2 π =10 Hz ω =20 π t=1/f=0.1 s φ=π /4
(2) X=0.01cos(20 π × 2+ π /4 )=7.07×10-3 m
V=0.2 πsinc=0.1414 m/s
a=4 π 2cos(20 πt+ π / 4)=2.828 π 2=27.88 m/s2
21. An object in a simple harmonic motion moves from the equilibrium position towards the
positive position of x axis, what is ratio of the needed shortest time for going through the
following distance to the period? (1) From the equilibrium position to the maximum
displacement; (2) From the equilibrium position to x=A/2; (3) From x=A/2 to the maximum
displacement.
Answer:
(1) t=T/4
(2) A/2=Asin(2 π /T )t (2 π /T )t= π /6 t=T/12
(3) t=T/4-T/12=T/6
23. The graph shown in Figure 5.8 closely approximates the displacement x of a tuning fork as a
function of time t as it is playing a single note. What are (a) the amplitude, (b) period, (c)
frequency and (d) angular frequency of this forks motion?

Answer:
(a) A=0.4 mm
(b) T=2 ms=0.002 s
(c) f=1/T= 500 Hz
(d) ω =2 π /T=1000 π
24. A 0.150 kg toy is undergoing SHM on the end of a horizontal spring with force constant 300.0
N/m. When the object is 0.0120 m from its equilibrium position, it is observed to have a speed of
0.300 m/s. Find (a) the total energy of the object at any point in its motion, (b) the amplitude of
the motion and (c) the maximum speed attained by the object during the motion.
Answer:
(a) E=1/2kx2+1/2mv2=0.02835 J
(b) E =1/2kA2 A=0.01375 m
(c) E =1/2mvm2 vm=0.6148 m/s
26. A 2.40 kg ball is attached to an unknown spring and allowed to oscillate. Figure 5.9 shows a
graph of the ball’s position x as a function of time t. For this motion, what are (a) the period, (b)
the frequency? (c) What is the force constant of the spring?

Answer:
(a) T=0.8 s
(b) f=1/T=1.25 Hz
(c) T=2 π √( m/k) k=148 N/m