The period of an ideal mass-spring oscillator increases with mass and decreases with stiffness.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Read time
5 min
Prerequisites
Basic algebra, consistent units, and the stated model assumptions
Source
OpenStax, College Physics 2e, §16.2 (Paul Peter Urone and Roger Hinrichs)OpenFormulaGraph equation reference; FormuLab adaptation details and license are provided below.
Adapted from OpenFormulaGraph, under CC BY 4.0.
FormuLab adapted wording, notation, applicability conditions and topic placement, and expanded the numerical check into a worked example.
The period of an ideal mass-spring oscillator increases with mass and decreases with stiffness. In the linear model, period is independent of oscillation amplitude.
| Symbol | Meaning | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Period | ||
| Mass | ||
| Spring Constant |
Estimate one cycle of an ideal spring oscillator.
Compare periods when the effective mass changes.
Find the period of an ideal oscillator with mass 2 kg and stiffness 200 N/m.
OpenFormulaGraph equation reference; FormuLab adaptation details and license are provided below.
Adapted from OpenFormulaGraph, under CC BY 4.0.
FormuLab adapted wording, notation, applicability conditions and topic placement, and expanded the numerical check into a worked example.
Assumptions
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