PHY-10012 OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES

Spring Semester 2008/9

Assessed Problem Set 2
SOLUTIONS
QUESTION 1
(a) The equation of motion for a damped oscillator in general is
x +

x + 02 x = 0
m

m
x + x + m02 x = 0

or

Therefore, given that = 0.2 kg s1 and m = 200 g = 0.2 kg and k = 0.85 N m1 (so
that /m = 1, and the square of the natural angular frequency is 02 = k/m = 4.25 s2 ),
the equation becomes
x
+ x + 4.25 x = 0

0.2 x
+ 0.2 x + 0.85 x = 0

or

(b) As stated in part (a), 02 = 4.25 s2 . Therefore,

2m0 = 2 (0.2 kg) ( 4.25 s1 ) ' 0.8246 kg s1 > 0.2 kg s1 =

That is, < 2m0 and therefore the system is underdamped.
The period of an underdamped oscillator in general is

which in this case evaluates to

2
T = p 2
0 2 /(4m2 )

2
T = p
4.25 0.22 /(4 0.22 )

2
= seconds
2

Comparing this to the natural oscillation period:

T0 =

2
2
=
0
4.25

' 3.048 seconds

so the damped period is longer than the natural period. This is true in general,
for any underdamped oscillator.
(c) The amplitude of an underdamped oscillator decreases with time, as
A(t) = A0 e t/(2m)
1

and the associated mechanical energy thus decreases as

E(t) A(t)2 e t/m
If we let E0 be the mechanical energy at time t = 0, then we can write
E(t) = E0 e t/m
When the oscillator has lost 99.9% of its mechanical energy, it will have 0.1% = 0.001
of the initial energy left. This occurs at a time such that
E(t) = 0.001 E0

E0 e t/m = 0.001 E0

e t/m = 0.001

which then implies (with = 0.2 kg s1 and m = 0.2 kg)

t
= ln(0.001)
m

t =

m
ln(0.001) ' 6.908 seconds

The corresponding number of oscillation cycles is obtained by dividing the time by the
period (the damped T = s, not the natural period):
t/T ' 6.908/ = 2.2 cycles
Finally, the change in the oscillation amplitude follows from substituting t = 6.908 s
into the formula A(t) = A0 e t/(2m) (with = 0.2 kg s1 and m = 0.2 kg), or from
simply noting that E(t) A(t)2 implies A(t) E(t)1/2 :
p

A(t)/A0 =
E(t)/E0 =
0.001 ' 0.03162

QUESTION 2
(a) The block+spring in Question 1 is underdamped, so its displacement as a function of
time is
r
2
t/(2m)
x(t) = A0 e
sin( t + 0 )
with
=
02
4m2
Given that = 0.2 kg s1 , = 0.2 kg, and 02 = k/m = 0.85/0.2 = 4.25 s2 , we have
/m = 1 s1 and =

4.25 0.22 /(4 0.22 ) = 2 s1 , so we can write

x(t) = A0 et/2 sin(2 t + 0 )

with the constants A0 and 0 to be determined from initial conditions.

2

We are told that x = 0 at t = 0, so

x(0) = A0 e0 sin(0 + 0 ) = A0 sin 0 = 0
which requires sin 0 = 0 (since the initial amplitude A0 must be non-zero). This means
either 0 = 0 or 0 = . Choosing between these requires information about the initial
velocity. With x(t) given as above, the velocity for general time t is
x = dx/dt =

1
A0 et/2 sin(2 t + 0 ) + 2 A0 et/2 cos(2 t + 0 )
2

At time t = 0, we are told that x(0)

= +50 cm s1 = 0.5 m s1 , so
x(0)

= 12 A0 e0 sin(0 + 0 ) + 2 A0 e0 cos(0 + 0 )
= 12 A0 sin 0 + 2 A0 cos 0
= 0 + 2 A0 cos 0 = + 0.5 m s1
Hence, we must have cos 0 > 0. Together with sin 0 = 0, this means
0 = 0
and then it follows that
2 A0 cos 0 = 2 A0 cos(0) = 2 A0 = 0.5

A0 = 0.5/2 = 0.25 m

Thus, the displacement and velocity as functions of time are

x(t) =

0.25 et/2 sin(2 t)

x(t)

= 0.125 e

t/2

sin(2 t) + 0.5 et/2 cos(2 t)

m s1

(b) The block is farthest from equilibrium (maximum x) at the first time that the derivative
dx/dt = x is equal to 0. Thus,
x = 0

=
=
=
=

0.125 et/2 sin(2 t) = 0.5 et/2 cos(2 t)

tan(2 t) = 0.5/0.125 = 4
2 t = 1.3258 (radians . . .)
tmax = 0.6629 seconds

At this time, the displacement is

xmax = x(t = tmax ) = 0.25 etmax /2 sin(2 tmax ) = 0.1741 m
Then, the block is guaranteed to stay within |x| < 1 cm = 0.01 m of equilibrium for all
times after the oscillation amplitude, A(t) = A0 e t/(2m) , becomes less than 0.01 m.
Therefore,
A0 e t/(2m) = 0.25 et/2 < 0.01 m

=
=
3

et/2 > 0.25/0.01 = 25

t > 2 ln(25) = 6.438 s

Notice that this is 6.438/ ' 2.05 oscillation periods (recall from Question 1 that T =
s).
A sketch of x(t) based on these results is shown just below. The dashed lines show the
exponentially decaying amplitude of oscillation, A(t) = A0 e t/(2m) = 0.25 et/2 m. The
peak of x(t) that is closest to t = 0 is at tmax = 0.6629 s and xmax = 0.1741 m, as
just calculated. The ticks on the time-axis are at t = s and t = 2 s, marking the
first two periods (complete oscillation cycles). It is just beyond the second tick that the
displacement is confined to be within |x| < 0.01 m .

QUESTION 3
(a) Amplitude resonance occurs in a forced oscillator when the driving angular frequency is
q
e,max =
02 2 /(2m2 )

In this case, with m = 0.2 kg and k = 0.85 N m1 , the square of the natural angular
frequency is 02 = k/m = 4.25 s2 . Given also that = 0.2 kg s1 , then,
p

4.25 0.22 /(2 0.22 ) = 3.75 ' 1.936 s1

e,max =
which is about e,max ' 0.939 0 . (Amplitude resonance always occurs for a driving
frequency that is less than the natural angular frequencybut usually not too much
less.)

The steady-state displacement amplitude when e = e,max follows from the general
formula,
F0 /m
A = p 2
(0 e2 )2 + 2 e2 /m2
4

2
With 02 = 4.25 s2 and e2 = e,max
= 3.75 s2 , plus F0 = 1.96 N, m = 0.2 kg, and
= 0.2 kg s1 , we have

A = p

1.96/0.2

(4.25 3.75)2 + 0.22 3.75/0.22

1.96/0.2
= 4.9 m
2

The average power absorbed from the driving force is

hPext i =

1 2 2
A
2 e

2
for any e and A. With e2 = e,max
= 3.75 s2 and the associated displacement
amplitude A = 4.9 m just calculated,

hPext i = 9.00375 Watt

(e = e,max )

For comparison, at velocity resonance, the driving angular frequency exactly matches
the natural angular frequency: e = 0 . In this case, the general equation above gives
A = F0 /(0 ) for the displacement amplitude, so the average power is (with F0 = 1.96 N
and = 0.2 kg s1 again)
1
2

hPext i =

02 (F0 / 0 )2 =

1
2

F02 / = 9.604 Watt

(e = 0 )

The fact that this is greater than the average power at e = e,max is an example of the
general result that the power is maximized at velocity resonance.
(b) For a constant external force, e = 0 [i.e., F (t) = F0 cos(e t) = F0 cos(0) = F0 ], the
displacement amplitude is
A = p

F0 /m
(02

e2 )2

2 e2 /m2

= p

F0 /m
(02

0)2

+0

F0
m02

Here F0 = 1.96 N, m = 0.2 kg, and 02 = k/m = 4.25 s2 , so

A = 2.306 m

(e = 0)

(c) With the spring now vertical and the block hanging from it, the spring force balances
gravity when the spring is stretched by an amount y such that
ky = mg

y = mg/k = (0.2 kg)(9.8 m s2 )/(0.85 N m1 ) = 2.306 m

(see also Lecture 2 for analysis of a block hanging from a vertical spring).
This is exactly the same as the displacement A in the case of a constant driving force
(e = 0) in part (b). The reason is that gravity is, of course, a constant external force;
and the magnitude of it, mg = 0.2 9.8 = 1.96 N for this block, is the same as the
5

amplitude F0 that was chosen for the driving force in this entire Question.
This also exemplifies how, in the limit of low-frequency driving of an oscillator ( e 0),
an external force works mainly to cancel the natural restoring force and simply shift the
system to a new equilibrium position (at mg/k = 2.306 m = A in this particular
problem).

QUESTION 4
(a) The speed of the wave is
v =

where F is the tension in the wire and is its linear mass density (mass per unit length).
Given v, we need to find in order to calculate F .
If the wire is a cylinder with a circular cross-section of radius R and some length L and
a total mass M , then
M = (volume of cylinder) (mass per unit volume) = R2 L
Thus, the mass per unit length is
= M / L = (R2 L) / L = R2
and so the tension that gives a wave speed of v is
F = v 2 = R2 v 2
The numbers provided are R = 0.3 mm = 3 104 m for the wire (in fact, the diameter
was given, as 0.6 mm; this is two times the radius); = 7860 kg m3 for the density of
steel; and v = 230 m s1 for the wave speed. The tension is therefore
F = (3 104 m)2 (7860 kg m3) (230 m s1)2 = 117.6 N
(b) The general form of a harmonic wave travelling to the left (i.e., in the x direction) is
y(x, t) = A sin(kx + t + 0 )
where k = 2/ and = 2f . The phase constant 0 depends on the initial conditions.
Given that = 3 cm, the wavenumber is
k =

2
2
=
cm1

3
6

Given that f = 40 Hz, the angular frequency is

= 2f = 80 s1
The question gives the amplitude of the wave directly:
A = 0.6 cm
Given that y = 0.3 cm when x = 0 and t = 0,
y(0, 0) = A sin(0 + 0 + 0 ) = 0.6 sin(0 ) = 0.3

sin(0 ) = 0.5

and therefore
0 = 30 = /6 rad

or

0 = 150 = 5/6 rad

It is not possible to choose between these two alternatives without some additional
information about initial conditions (e.g., the signpositive or negativeof the particle
velocity, y/t). No such information is given, however, and so for the purposes of this
question we are free to choose either 0 = /6 or 0 = 5/6.
Taking 0 = /6 for definiteness, the full wave function is
y(x, t) = A sin(kx + t + 0 ) = 0.6 sin

2
3

x + 80 t +

cm

for x and y both measured in centimetres and time t in seconds. If x and y are both
measured in metres instead, then the wavefunction is
y(x, t) = 0.006 sin

200
3

x + 80 t +