Periods and Frequencies
Energies, etc.
Mass-Spring System
Simple Pendulum
100

This would be the effect on period if a mass-spring system is pulled back 4 times farther

What is "same period"?

100

Location of greatest potential energy for a simple pendulum

What is the "highest point"?

100
Location(s) of slowest speed

Stretched and compressed spring locations

100

True/False: Increasing the mass will increase the period

False

200

A mass-spring system and a simple pendulum both have a frequency f. If both oscillators were moved to the moon, which has 1/6th the earth's gravity, then each oscillator's frequency would change by a factor of

mass-spring system: no change

simple pendulum: 1/square root of 6 

200

True or False: Total energy increase as a pendulum reaches its highest point

False - total energy is constant. The gravitational potential energy will increase as a pendulum moves upward, but its kinetic energy will decrease.

200

Location of maximum (magnitude) acceleration

What are the "stretched and compressed positions"?
200

What happens to the kinetic energy and speed as a simple pendulum goes up? Explain your answer (no explanation = no credit).

KE and speed decrease. Reasons:

- increase in GPE

- working against gravity / gravity slowing you down

300

The mass on a mass-spring system is increased by a factor of 9. Its spring is, however, decreased by 1/3. The new period of the oscillator is ____ times its original period.

What is "square root of 27"?

300

The frequency of oscillation is

What is "1/3 or 0.3333 Hz"?

300

When the spring is stretched, the acceleration is (zero) (positive) (negative)

What is "negative"?

300

Location(s) of fastest speed

What is the "lowest point"?
400

If an oscillator vibrates at 10 Hz, then the period of its motion is

What is "1/10 or 0.1 seconds"?

400



The mass-spring oscillator is compressed at time(s)

What are "0.75 s, 3.75 s"?

400

When the spring is compressed, the spring force is (zero) (positive) (negative) 

What is "positive"?

400

True/False: a simple pendulum has the least energy at the lowest point of its trajectory

False - the gravitational potential energy is lowest at the lowest point, but the total energy is constant

500

The mass of a mass-spring system is reduced to 1/4th of its original mass. The spring used is also reduced to one with 1/8th of its original spring constant. The new period and frequency are 

period: sqrt(2) times the original

frequency: 1/sqrt(2) times the original

500

The mass-spring system has zero acceleration at time(s)

What are "0 s, 1.5 s, 3.0 s, 4.5 s"?

500

Two identical masses are hung from two different springs. The spring with the longer period has the (greater) (smaller) spring constant.

What is "smaller"?

500

A pendulum on earth has a string length of 0.5 m. The pendulum oscillates with the same period as a mass-spring system that has a spring of k = 2 N/m. What mass does the spring have?

What is "0.1 m"?

First, find the period for the pendulum:

T = 2*pi*sqrt(0.5/10) =1.40 s

The mass-spring system has the same period, which can be used to solve for the mass:

T = 2*pi*sqrt(m/k)

1.40 = 2*pi*sqrt(m/2)

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