Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A glider of on a spring of oscillates with an amplitude of . Find (a) the total energy, (b) the largest speed, and (c) the kinetic energy when the glider is from the middle.
Potential energy , kinetic energy , total . So and . at , and each energy averages to over a period.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
(a) .
(b) At the middle, . We want , so .
(c) , so .
Answer: ; ; . At half the amplitude, three quarters of the energy is kinetic.
Log in to join the discussion.
Loading…