Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

There is a spring of rest length L fixed to the top of a ramp, a vertical distance H above the ground. The ramp is tilted at angle theta above the horizontal and is very slippery. A box of mass m is tied to the end of the spring. The box and spring are gently released so that they come to rest with the box a distance h above the ground.

  1. What is the spring constant of the spring?
  2. What is the total energy of the system at this moment?
  3. Alice puts a rock of mass M into the box and holds the box steady. What is the total energy of the system at this moment?
  4. Now Alice releases the box. It starts to slide down the ramp. How far does it slide downwards before it stops momentarily?
  5. At what position does the box have the maximum speed?

Let's move on ...

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.