General Question About Spring/Mass System

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a spring/mass system problem, specifically addressing the unit conversions required when using different measurement systems, such as imperial and metric units.

Discussion Character

  • Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the necessity of converting units from feet and pounds to Newtons and meters when applying formulas designed for the metric system. There is uncertainty regarding the appropriate units to use, particularly concerning the appearance of slugs as a unit of mass in the calculations.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered guidance on the need for unit consistency, while others express confusion about the implications of using slugs. The conversation reflects a mix of interpretations regarding the preferred units and the expectations of the instructor.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of differing educational preferences for unit systems, and participants question the relevance of using imperial units in a predominantly metric context.

Meadman23
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In a spring/mass system problem, if you are given your values in units of feet and pounds, are you supposed to convert them to units of Newtons and meters??
 
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If you are using formulae which have been designed for the mks system, then yes, you must use mks units.
 
In my case, I'm not really sure what I should use. For my problem, when I use the kx=mg equation and solve for my mass, I end up getting an answer in units of slugs.


http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/mechanics/slug.html


Looking at the above link, it tells me that a slug is a unit of mass, so I'll have to try to go with it...
 
Meadman23 said:
...I end up getting an answer in units of slugs.

Haha! I've never heard of slugs before! And I'm in the US. Is that sad? When will we stop being so stubborn and just use metric units? And rename football to handball?

As for your problem, it really depends on what your teacher wants. Though I'm guessing that's kilograms and not slugs.
 

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