INSTITUTE OF BASIC AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

PHY 101 2022/2023 ACADEMIC YEAR

TUTORIAL SHEET 8: SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION

1. A spring is mounted horizontally, with its left end fixed. A spring balance attached to the free end
and pulled toward the right indicates that the stretching force is proportional to the displacement,
and a force of 8.0 N causes a displacement of 5 cm. Find the spring constant

2. The shock absorbers in an old car with mass 1000 kg are completely worn out. When a 1000-N
person climbs slowly into the car at its center of gravity, the car sinks 3 cm. The car (with the
person aboard) hits a bump, and the car starts oscillating up and down in SHM. Model the car
and person as a single body on a single spring, and find the period and frequency of the
oscillation.

3. An object oscillates with simple harmonic motion along the x axis. Its position varies with time
according to the equation.
𝝅 𝝅
𝒙 = (𝟏𝟎. 𝟎𝟎𝒎)𝐜𝐨𝐬⁡( 𝒕 + )
𝟒 𝟔

Where t is in seconds and the angles in the parentheses are in radians.

a) Determine the amplitude, Angular frequency, Frequency and period of the motion.
b) Determine the maximum velocity and maximum acceleration of the object
c) Determine the equation for velocity and acceleration of the object at any time t.
d) Using the equations of part (c), determine the position, velocity, and acceleration of the object at
t = 2.00 s.
e) Find the displacement of the object between t = 0 and t =2.00 s.

4. A 0.500-kg object attached to a spring with a force constant of 8.00 N/m vibrates in simple
harmonic motion with amplitude of 10.0 cm.

Calculate

a) the maximum value of its velocity and acceleration

LMMU 1
 b) the velocity and acceleration when the object is 6.00 cm from the equilibrium position,
c) the velocity and acceleration when the object is -6.00 cm from the equilibrium position.
d) Given that at t=0, x=5cm. determine the equation of the simple harmonic oscillator

5. A 7.00 kg object is hung from the bottom end of a vertical spring fastened to an overhead beam.
The object is set into vertical oscillations having a period of 2.60 s. Find the force constant of the
spring.
6. An automobile having a mass of 1 000 kg is driven into a brick wall in a safety test. The bumper
behaves like a spring of force constant 5.00 x 106 N/m and compresses 3.16 cm as the car is
brought to rest. What was the speed of the car before impact, assuming that no mechanical energy
is lost during impact with the wall?
7. A 50.0 g object connected to a spring with a force constant of 35.0 N/m oscillates on a horizontal,
frictionless surface with an amplitude of 4.00 cm. Find
a) the total energy of the system when the object is -3.00 cm from equilibrium position
b) the velocity and acceleration of the object when the position is -3.00 cm from equilibrium position
c) the kinetic energy of the object when the position is -3.00 cm from equilibrium position.
d) the potential energy when the position is -3.00 cm from the equilibrium position.

8. What is the acceleration due to gravity in a region where a simple pendulum having a length
80.00 cm has a period of 1.80 s?
9. A clock is designed so that one swing of the pendulum in either direction takes 2.00 s. What is
the length of the pendulum?
10. A student in a biomechanics lab measures the length of his leg, from hip to heel, to be 0.80m.
a) What is the frequency of the pendulum motion of the student’s leg?
b) What is the period?
1
Assuming that the leg is a uniform rod pivoted about its end 𝐼 = 3 𝑚𝐿2

LMMU 2