Solve 2 Physics Problems: Air-Track Glider & Planet X Gravity

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around two physics problems involving oscillatory motion and gravitational acceleration. The first problem concerns an air-track glider attached to a spring, where participants are attempting to determine the glider's position after a certain time based on its oscillation characteristics. The second problem involves calculating the acceleration due to gravity on Planet X using a mass-spring system and the observed oscillation data.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the calculation of the glider's position using cosine functions and question the correctness of their results. There are attempts to clarify the use of radians in calculations. In the second problem, participants explore how to derive the spring constant and relate it to gravitational acceleration, raising questions about the forces acting on the mass.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on recalculating the spring constant and have pointed out the need for accurate algebraic manipulation. There is an ongoing exploration of the relationship between the spring's properties and gravitational acceleration, with no explicit consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework rules, which may limit the information they can share. There is a noted discrepancy in the number of oscillations referenced in the problem statement, which may affect calculations.

oldunion
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An air-track glider is attached to a spring. The glider is pulled to the right and released from rest at t=0 s. It then oscillates with a period of 2.05 s and a maximum speed of 58.0 cm/s.

i found the amplitude to be 18.92. they want the gliders position at time 24 seconds. my answer of 5.35 and 5.4 are both wrong.

18.92cos(2pi(24)/2.05) this is what i did and i don't know what's wrong.


Problem 2:
On your first trip to Planet X you happen to take along a 165 g mass, a 40-cm-long spring, a meter stick, and a stopwatch. You're curious about the acceleration due to gravity on Planet X, where ordinary tasks seem easier than on earth, but you can't find this information in your Visitor's Guide. One night you suspend the spring from the ceiling in your room and hang the mass from it. You find that the mass stretches the spring by 31.5 cm. You then pull the mass down 6.60 cm and release it. With the stopwatch you find that 11.0 oscillations take 15.4 s.

their question is "can you now satisfy your curiosity"? answr in m/s^2

i don't really have a clue here
 
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oldunion said:
An air-track glider is attached to a spring. The glider is pulled to the right and released from rest at t=0 s. It then oscillates with a period of 2.05 s and a maximum speed of 58.0 cm/s.

i found the amplitude to be 18.92. they want the gliders position at time 24 seconds. my answer of 5.35 and 5.4 are both wrong.

18.92cos(2pi(24)/2.05) this is what i did and i don't know what's wrong.

The above equation is correct. But the numbers you gave (5.35,5.4) are wrong. Calculate the above again. Make sure you use radians on your calculator.

Problem 2:
On your first trip to Planet X you happen to take along a 165 g mass, a 40-cm-long spring, a meter stick, and a stopwatch. You're curious about the acceleration due to gravity on Planet X, where ordinary tasks seem easier than on earth, but you can't find this information in your Visitor's Guide. One night you suspend the spring from the ceiling in your room and hang the mass from it. You find that the mass stretches the spring by 31.5 cm. You then pull the mass down 6.60 cm and release it. With the stopwatch you find that 11.0 oscillations take 15.4 s.

their question is "can you now satisfy your curiosity"? answr in m/s^2

i don't really have a clue here

First find k for the spring... a spring mass oscillator's period T depends only on k and m. T = 2*pi*sqrt(k/m) You can calculate the period. You can calculate m... So you should be able to solve for k.

Now you need to find g using k... hint: what are the forces acting on the mass when it is stretched 0.315m... can you get another equation that let's you solve for g?
 
k = .165 *(2*pi*.4756)^2 (for omega squared where omega is equal to 2piF, where f equals 10oscillations/14.5 seconds.
k=3.0981
3.0981(.315)-(.165)g=0

g=5.9147

does this look correct before i submit it and lose points.
 
it is incorrect
 
You need to get some algebra correct first

[tex]T = 2 \pi {\sqrt{\frac{k}{m}}}[/tex]

[tex]k = m \left[\frac{T}{2 \pi}\right]^2[/tex]

[tex]k = m \left[\frac{1}{2 \pi f}\right]^2[/tex]

The original statement of the problem said 11 oscillations, not 10, so f = 11/14.5 seconds = . . .
 
Last edited:

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