Consider a harmonic oscillator (mass on a spring without friction). Taking the mass alone to be the system, how much work is done on the system as the spring of stiffnessKS contracts from its maximum stretch A to its relaxed length? What is the change in kinetic energy of the system during this motion? For what choice of system does energy remain constant during this motion?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The amount of work done on the system is W=12ksA2 and the change in kinetic energy during the motion is K=12ksA2 . The energy remains constant for the system spring plus mass.

Step by step solution

01

Define the kinetic energy

The energy that an item has as a result of its motion is known as kinetic energy.

We must apply force to an item if we want it to accelerate. Applying force necessitates effort. After the job is completed, energy is transferred to the item, which then moves at a new constant speed. Kinetic energy is the amount of energy transmitted and is determined by the mass and speed achieved.

02

Calculation for amount of work done

The formula to find work is W=0AFdxwhere Fis force and xis the displacement of the block.

For the spring force is F=kx. The stretch of the spring as a function of the displacement will be A-x.

Substitute F=ksA-x into the formula of work.

role="math" localid="1657788251253" W=0AksA-xdx=ksAx-x220A=ksA2-A22=12ksA2

Therefore, the amount of work done is obtained asW=12ksA2 .

03

Change in kinetic energy

No non-conservative forces act on the system and so, energy is conserved between the initial and final states that isEi=Ef.

In the initial state the kinetic energy is zero, therefore the initial energy is equal to the elastic potential energy of the spring.

Ei=12ksA2AsEf=Kfso,Kf=12ksA2

Similarly, when the spring is in its relaxed position, there is only kinetic energy.

K=KfKi=12ksA2

The energy would remain constant for the system spring plus mass, because no non-conservative forces act on the system, so energy would only be shared between elastic potential energy (in the spring) and kinetic energy (in the mass). However, the total energy is always the same.

Therefore, the change in kinetic energy is obtained as K=12ksA2.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

How many joules of energy can you store in a spring whose stiffness is, 0.6 N/m by starting from a relaxed spring and stretching it 20cm?

Here are questions about human diet. (a) A typical candy bar provides 280calories (one “food” or “large” calorie is equal to 4.2×103J). How many candy bars would you have to eat to replace the chemical energy you expend doing 100 sit-ups? Explain your work, including any approximations or assumptions you make. (In a sit-up, you go from lying on your back to sitting up.) (b) How many days of a diet of 2000 large calories are equivalent to the gravitational energy difference for you between sea level and the top of Mount Everest, 8848 m above sea level? (However, the body is not anywhere near 100% efficient in converting chemical energy into change in altitude. Also note that this is in addition to your basal metabolism.)

Question: A horizontal spring with stiffness 0.5 N/m has a relaxed length of 15 cm. A mass of 20 g is attached and you stretch the spring to a total length of 25 cm. The mass is then released from rest and moves with little friction. What is the speed of the mass at the moment when the spring returns to its relaxed length of 15 cm?

Figure 7.49 is a potential energy curve for the interaction of two neutral toms. The two-atom system is in a vibrational state indicated by the green horizontal line.

  1. At , what are the approximate values of the kinetic energy K, the potential energy U, and the quantity K + U?
  2. What minimum energy must be supplied to cause these two atoms to separate?
  3. In some cases, when r is large, the interatomic potential energy can be expressed approximately as . For large r, what is the algebraic form of the magnitude of the force the two atoms exert on each other in this case?

Question: A relaxed spring of lengthstands vertically on the floor; its stiffness is. You release a block of mass from rest, with the bottom of the blockabove the floor and straight above the spring. How long is the spring when the block comes momentarily to rest on the compressed spring?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free