Period and amplitude of oscillations.

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the period and amplitude of oscillations after an inelastic collision between two blocks. Block "A," with an initial velocity of 10 m/s, collides with block "B," both having a mass of 2 kg. The conservation of momentum is applied to find the final velocity after the collision, leading to the equation p_i = p_f. The user initially struggles with the energy conservation equation but eventually realizes the correct approach involves using the final velocity to solve for amplitude. The problem emphasizes the importance of correctly applying both momentum and energy conservation principles in oscillation calculations.
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Homework Statement


Block “A” is released with initial velocity v=10 m/s. Find the period and the amplitude
of oscillations after inelastic collision of block “A” with block “B”. The mass of block “A” is
2 kg, the mass of block “B” is 2 kg. The spring constants of the springs are 100 N/m and 300
N/m. The surface is frictionless and the springs are massless.

Homework Equations


E_i = \frac {1}{2} m_A v^2
E_f = \frac {1}{2} k A^2 + \frac {1}{2} (m_A + m_B) v^2

The Attempt at a Solution



I attached the image of the problem at the bottom.

Trying to find the amplitude of oscillations... I tried E_i = E_f.

\frac {1}{2} m_A v^2 = \frac {1}{2} k A^2 + \frac {1}{2} (m_A + m_B) v^2
200 = 400A^2 + 400

Got stuck here, because when I subtract 400 I get -200 on the left side and I can't take the square root... am I setting this up right?
 

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  • spring problem.png
    spring problem.png
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Never mind, I figured out what I was doing wrong.

First you consider the initial and final momentum...
p_i = p_f
m_A v_i = (m_A + m_B)v_f

Solve for v_f...

Then \frac {1}{2} kA^2 = \frac {1}{2} (m_A + m_B) v^2.
 
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