- #1
sciencegem
- 60
- 0
Hi guys,
My logic is obviously flawed here I'm just not sure what I'm missing. I'd love a hint but don't tell me too much as I want to try to figure this out once I'm heading in the right direction :) I'm really upset with myself that I couldn't solve this, so I'd love more SHM problems to practice. Does anyone know of a good resource(s)?
Thanks for reading!
1. Homework Statement
A small solid ball of mass M and radius R rolls without slipping on the track whose height y as a function of horizontal position x is given by y=ax^2 where a is a constant with the units of inverse length. The mass is given an initial displacement from the bottom of the track and then released. Find an expression for the period of the resulting motion.
U=mgh (gravitational)
U=(1/2)kx^2 (SHM)
T=2pi*sqrt(m/k)
U = mgh = mgy = mgax^2 = (1/2)kx^2 => k = 2mga => T = 2pi/sqrt(2ga)
My logic is obviously flawed here I'm just not sure what I'm missing. I'd love a hint but don't tell me too much as I want to try to figure this out once I'm heading in the right direction :) I'm really upset with myself that I couldn't solve this, so I'd love more SHM problems to practice. Does anyone know of a good resource(s)?
Thanks for reading!
1. Homework Statement
A small solid ball of mass M and radius R rolls without slipping on the track whose height y as a function of horizontal position x is given by y=ax^2 where a is a constant with the units of inverse length. The mass is given an initial displacement from the bottom of the track and then released. Find an expression for the period of the resulting motion.
Homework Equations
U=mgh (gravitational)
U=(1/2)kx^2 (SHM)
T=2pi*sqrt(m/k)
The Attempt at a Solution
U = mgh = mgy = mgax^2 = (1/2)kx^2 => k = 2mga => T = 2pi/sqrt(2ga)