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

A few SHM problems

  1. A mass M on a frictionless floor is connected to a spring of force constant k and set into motion. It slides left and right, left and right, so that its position at time t is given by
    1. At what time t is the spring potential energy equal to the kinetic energy of the block?
    2. What is the maximum speed of the block?

  2. I hang a meterstick of mass m = 100 g by a hole which is h = 40 cm from the center of the rod. The meterstick is hanging straight down towards the floor, motionless.
    1. What is the moment of inertia of the rod around this hole?
    2. What is the force of gravity on the rod?

      3. I now move the meterstick so that it hangs at angle of theta from the vertical.

    3. What is the torque on the meterstick?

      4. I release the meterstick.

    4. Write an equation which shows the angular acceleration of the meterstick as a function of the angular displacement.
    5. Does the meterstick undergo simple harmonic motion? Explain.

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