10.1 Simple Harmonic Motion
- Why is the force exerted by a spring called a restoring force?
- What does it mean to say the restoring force of a spring is
proportional to how far the spring has been stretched from equilibrium?
- What is meant by the "amplitude" of an oscillation?
- What is meant by the period or the frequency of an oscillation?
- How are period and frequency related?
- How can a simple harmonic oscillator be used in keeping time?
10.2 Energy Considerations
- How can energy be conserved if it is constantly changing from
potential to kinetic?
- Why is the speed greatest as a simple harmonic oscillator moves
through its equilibrium position?
- Why does a simple harmonic oscillator stop when its displacement
equals its amplitude.
10.3 Spring and Hanging Mass
- Explain what is meant by saying the restoring force exerted
by a spring is proportional to how far it has been stretched from
equilibrium.
- Explain why increasing the mass of a mass-and-spring oscillator
will cause its period to increase.
- Explain why a stronger spring, with larger value of spring
constant k, in a mass-and-spring oscillator will cause its period
to decrease.
10.4 Simple Pendulum
- As a pendulum's length is increased, what happens to its period?
- If the acceleration due to gravity were increased, how would
that affect the period of a simple pendulum?
- If the mass at the end of a simple pendulum is increased,
what happens to the period of the pendulum?
10.5 Physical Pendulum
- As you swing on a playground swing, what will happen to your
period if you move from a sitting position to a standing position?
10.6 Torsional Oscillations
- When a torsional pendulum is rotated from equilibrium, the
restoring torque twists it back toward equilibrium. Why does it
overshoot its equilibrium position?
10.7 Damped and Driven Oscillations
- If the water in the damped oscillator of Figure 10.12 is replaced
with warm syrup, what will happen to the motion of the oscillator?
How will the motion be affected?
- If shock absorbers are replaced by ones that are too strong
or too heavy, how will this affect the ride of your car?
- How will the ride of your car be affected as your shock absorbers
wear out?
- How can striking one of the chimes in Figure 10.13 cause the
other chime to ring?
- What is meant by the "natural frequency" of an oscillator?
