ACTIVITY SPRINGS, SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION AND TRAVELLING WAVES

1. A 0.60 𝑘𝑔 block attached to a spring with force constant 130 𝑁/𝑚 is free to move on a frictionless
horizontal surface. The block is released from rest when the spring is stretched 0.13𝑚. At the
instant the block is released, find a) the force on the block and b) its acceleration.
2. When a 4.25 𝑘𝑔 is placed on top of a vertical spring, the spring compresses a distance of 2.62 𝑐𝑚.
What is the force constant of the spring?
3. In an engine, a piston oscillates with simple harmonic motion so that its position varies according
to the expression:
𝜋
𝑥 = 5 cos (2𝑡 + )
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At t=0s, find a) the position, b) the velocity, c) the acceleration. Also find d) the period, e) the
amplitude.

4. A 50 𝑘𝑔 object connected to a spring with a force constant of 35 𝑁/𝑚 oscillates with an

amplitude of 4cm on a frictionless, horizontal surface. Find a) the total energy of the system, given
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that 𝐸 = 2 𝑘𝐴2 , b) the speed of the object when its position is 1cm, c) the kinetic energy at 𝑥 =
3𝑐𝑚, d) the potential energy at 𝑥 = 3𝑐𝑚.
5. When a particular wire is vibrating with a frequency of 4𝐻𝑧, a transverse wave of wavelength
60 𝑐𝑚 is produced. Determine the speed of waves along the wire.
6. An ethernet cable is 4𝑚 long. The cable has a mass of 0.2 𝑘𝑔. A transverse pulse is produced by
plucking one end of the cable. The pulse makes four trips up and down and back along the cable
in 0.8 seconds. What is the tension of the cable.