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Home Interactives Work and Energy Vibrating Mass on a Spring Notes

Vibrating Mass on a Spring Notes

Notes:

The Mass on a Spring Interactive is an adjustable-size file that displays nicely on smart phones, on tablets such as the iPad, on Chromebooks, and on laptops and desktops. The size of the Interactive can be scaled to fit the device that it is displayed on. The compatibility with smart phones, iPads, other tablets, and Chromebooks make it a perfect tool for use in a 1:1 classroom.

Teaching Ideas and Suggestions:

This Interactive is versatile enough to be used in any one of two units - a unit on energy or a unit of vibrations and waves . The Interactive depicts the motion of a mass vibrating on a spring. There are two springs with different spring constants and five different masses that can be added to the end of each spring. One of the masses is an unknown mass. Both springs can vibrate at the same time. The Interactive provides the ability to change the stiffness and the damping of each spring. As soon as a mass is placed on a spring and the spring is stretched or compressed, the mass begins to vibrate up and down. A digital display reports the height and velocity and a bar chart displays the relative amount of kinetic energy and gravitational and elastic potential energies. Once the Start button is pressed, a plot of height and velocity as a function of time is created. A vertical bar can be dragged backwards across the graph to rewind the simulation and view the values of height, velocity and time at any point during the simulation. Pressing the Reset button allows the learner to change masses or properties of the spring.

The Interactive can be used to explore a variety of questions that would be relevant to either a unit on vibrations and waves or a unit on work and energy. These questions include:
  • How would you describe the changes in height as a function of time?
  • How would you describe the changes in velocity as a function of time?
  • At what height in the up and down cycle is the mass located at when it is traveling fastest?
  • At what height in the up and down cycle is the mass located at when it is traveling slowest?
  • What is the velocity of the mass when it is at its highest point? lowest point?
  • Does the period of the mass change over the course ot time?
  • Does the amplitude of the mass change over the course ot time?
  • What is the mass of the unknown mass?
  • What is the spring constant of the two springs?
  • What seems to determine the amount of gravitational potential energy?
  • What seems to determine the amount of elastic (spring) potential energy?
  • Accumulate some evidence to show that the mechanical energy of the mass on the spring is conserved over the course of time.
  • At what point in the up and down cycle of the mass is the kinetic energy the greatest?
  • At what point in the up and down cycle of the mass is the gravitational potential energy the greatest?
  • At what point(s) in the up and down cycle of the mass is the elastic potential energy the greatest?
  • What affect does increasing the amount of damping have upon the vibrations of the mass?
  • What affect does an increase in tension have upon the vibrations of the mass?


The Physics Classroom has prepared two activities for use with this Interactive. The first activity pertains to the distinction between the concepts of frequency and period. The second activity focuses on the nature of simple harmonic motion.


Our Mass on a Spring simulation is now available with a Concept Checker. Do the simulation. Then follow it up with the Concept Checker.
 

Related Resources:

There are numerous resources at The Physics Classroom website that serve as very complementary supports for the Mass on a Spring Interactive. These include:
  • Reading:

    Lessons 1 and 2 of the Work, Energy and Power Chapter of the Tutorial is also a perfect accompaniment to this Interactive. The following pages will be particularly useful in the early stages of the learning cycle on energy conservation:

    Kinetic Energy

    Potential Energy

    Analysis of Situations in Which Mechanical Energy is Conserved

    Bar Chart Illustrations



     
  • Curriculum/Practice: Several Concept Development worksheets at the Curriculum Corner will be very useful in assisting students in cultivating their understanding of vibrational motion and waves, There is currently very little information present there on the topic of vibrations. Yet, there are a lot of resources on the topic of wave motion. And there are even more resources on the topic of energy and energy conservation.

    Visit the Curriculum Corner.

     
  • Labwork:
    Simulations should always support (never supplant) hands-on learning. The Laboratory section of The Physics Classroom website includes several hands-on ideas that complement this Interactive. Six notable lab ideas from both the Energy and the Waves sections include ...

    A Wiggle in Time
    A Wiggle in Time and Space
    Wave Motion
    Ut Tensio, Sic Vis
    Energy of a Pendulum
    Spring Energy

    Visit The Laboratory.
  • Science Reasoning Activities:
    Science classrooms should be filled with reasoning activities. There are two related activities in the Waves section of the Science Reasoning Center that will challenge students to employ close reading, data analysis, and logical reasoning. The activities are named ...

    Period of a Pendulum
    Mass on a Spring
Additional resources and ideas for incorporating the Mass on a Spring Interactive into an instructional unit on vibrations and waves or work and energy can be found at the Teacher Toolkits section of The Physics Classroom website. Visit Teacher Toolkits.

Visit: Vibrating Mass on a Spring Interactive