Question

Suppose a 2662 kg giant seal is placed on a scale and produces a 20.0 cm compres- sion. If the seal and spring system are set into simple harmonic motion, what is the period of the oscillations

Answer 1

0.8976 seconds

Step-by-step explanation:

The period of oscillation for the simple harmonic motion can be found using the formula ...

T = 2π√(d/g)

where d is the displacement of the spring due to the attached weight, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

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For d = 0.20 meters, the period is ...

T = 2π√(0.20/9.8) ≈ 0.8976 . . . . seconds

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Additional comment

The formula for the oscillator period is usually seen as ...

T = 2π√(m/k)

where m is the mass in the system and k is the spring constant. The value of the spring constant is calculated from ...

k = mg/d

Using that in the formula, we find it simplifies to ...

`T=2\pi\sqrt{(m)/(k)}=2\pi\sqrt{(m)/(\left((mg)/(d)\right))}=2\pi\sqrt{(d)/(g)}`