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3-010-EnergyInSpringMassSystem-ModlingScenario

Author(s): Eric Sullivan

Keywords: energy mass-spring system kinetic energy potential energy total energy

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Abstract

Resource Image As a way to synthesize the effects of damping and forcing terms, this activity is meant to encourage students to explore how different forcing terms will change the total energy in a mass-spring system.

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Article Context

Resource Type
Differential Equation Type
Technique
Qualitative Analysis
Application Area
Course
Course Level
Lesson Length
Technology
Approach
Skills
Key Scientific Process Skills
Assessment Type
Pedagogical Approaches
Vision and Change Core Competencies - Ability
Principles of How People Learn
Bloom's Cognitive Level

Description

Consider a simple mass-spring system where m is the mass of an object suspended by a spring.

Given some initial energy or displacement in the vertical direction the mass will oscillate vertically. Using Newton's second law of motion we note immediately that the sum of the forces acting on the mass will be balanced by the product of the mass and the acceleration.

We study the total energy of the mass-spring system under different forcing functions.

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Authors

Author(s): Eric Sullivan

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