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Homework Statement
An automobile can be considered to be mounted on four identical springs as far as vertical oscillations are concerned. The springs of a certain car are adjusted so that the oscillations have a frequency of 3 Hz.
(a) What is the spring constant of each spring if the mass of the car is 1300 kg and the weight is evenly distributed over the springs?
Homework Equations
w = (k/m)^(1/2)
k(total) = k1 + k2 + k3 + k4 = 4k
The Attempt at a Solution
Since the springs are arranged in a parallel fashion, I can add their individual spring constants for an overall constant. Since the springs are identical, I can rewrite the sum of constants as 4k. Then, using the first equation listed above I have:
3 = (4k/1300)^(1/2) and solving for k I found the solution to be 2925 N/m. What's wrong with my approach?