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The position of a mass m = 30.0 kg is given in by x(t) = 8.0cos ((15.0)t). Calculate the magnitude of the maximum force acting on the mass.

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Final answer:

The magnitude of the maximum force acting on a 30.0 kg mass undergoing simple harmonic motion with a position function x(t) = 8.0cos((15.0)t) is 54000 N. This is found by using the angular frequency to calculate maximum acceleration, and then applying Newton's second law to find the force.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the magnitude of the maximum force acting on a mass m = 30.0 kg given the position x(t) = 8.0cos((15.0)t), we first need to determine the acceleration at the point where it is maximum, which occurs at the maximum displacement of the oscillation. The maximum displacement is the amplitude A = 8.0 m in the given equation. Since we're dealing with simple harmonic motion (SHM), the maximum acceleration amax can be found using the formula:

amax = -ω2A

Where ω (angular frequency) can be determined from the position function as ω = 15.0 s-1. Substituting the values into the formula, we get:

amax = -(15.0 s-1)2 × 8.0 m = -1800 m/s2

The negative sign indicates that the acceleration is in the opposite direction of the displacement. To find the force, we apply Newton's second law:

Fmax = m × amax

Fmax = 30.0 kg × 1800 m/s2 = 54000 N

Therefore, the magnitude of the maximum force acting on the mass during its oscillation is 54000 N.

User Oren Shemesh
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