Question

A 190 g air-track glider is attached to a spring. The glider is pushed in 8.6 cm against the spring, then released. A student with a stopwatch finds that 10 oscillations take 9.0 s.What is spring constant?

Answer 1

The spring constant = 9.25 N/m

Step-by-step explanation:

The equation of an object attached to a spring that is oscillating is

T = 2π√(m/k)

Where T = period of the oscillation, m = mass of the object, k = spring constant.

Making k the subject of the equation,

k = 4π²m/T²......................... Equation 1

Note: Period(T) is the time taken to complete one oscillation

Given: T = t/10 = 9.0/10 = 0.9 s, m = 190 g = 0.19 kg.

Constant: π = 3.14

Substitute these values into equation 1.

k = 4(3.14)²(0.19)/0.9²

k = 7.4933/0.81

k = 9.25 N/m

Thus the spring constant = 9.25 N/m