Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A platform of mass sits on top of a vertical spring of . A block of rests on the platform without being fixed to it. The platform is pushed down and let go, so that the two oscillate together. (a) Find the angular frequency. (b) What is the largest amplitude for which the block never leaves the platform? (c) For that amplitude, find the energy of the oscillation and the largest speed. Take .
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 top the acceleration is , downward. Gravity alone can give the block downward. If the motion needs more than , the platform would have to pull the block down, which it cannot do. So , and .
(c) and .
Answer: ; ; and .
Why at the top? At the bottom the acceleration points up, so the platform pushes harder on the block. Contact is lost only near the top.
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