Solving for Constants in Simple Harmonic Motion Lab - Tips and Troubleshooting

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on troubleshooting the calculation of constants B, n, and p in the equation T=B*k^n*m^p for simple harmonic motion. The user has successfully derived two power regressions for period versus mass and period versus spring constant, providing values for n and p. However, they are struggling to determine the constant B, as their attempts to equate the two regression equations do not yield the expected value of 2π. A suggestion is made to derive B from the slope of the graphs, particularly when holding k constant in the first graph. The conversation highlights the challenges of accurately calculating constants in physics experiments.
dm208
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Hello all,

I have completed a lab for simple harmonic motion, with the goal of finding the constants B, n, and p in the equation T=B*k^n*m^p, where k is the spring constant and m is the mass.

I suppose this is more of a math question, because I already have two separate power regressions: one is y = 1.2787x^0.4742 (period [y] vs. mass [x]) and the other is y = 0.6854x^-0.4939 (period [y] vs. spring constant [x]).

I know that I now have n and p (which are both close to the actual values), but I'm having trouble finding B. I tried setting the above equations equal (to find the intersection), and substituting the x-value into T, the y-value into both k and m, and the powers above into n and p. Obviously something is very incorrect because I get nowhere near 2pi for B.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Dan.
 
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From your rather inadequate description I suggest you can get a value of B from the slope of both graphs. In the first graph you have held the value of k constant, so the slope ( of the log plot ) is B*k^n.

Are you making Lissajous figures ?
 
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