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The Mass On A Spring Video Tutorial describes the manner in which force, speed, acceleration, position, and kinetic and potential energies change over the course of the back-and-forth vibrational cycle of a mass on a spring. Both horizontal and vertical springs are addressed. Free-body diagrams, vector diagrams, position-time plots, velocity-time plots, and energy bar charts are among the representations that are presented in the video.
The video lesson answers the following questions:
How does the force, acceleration, speed, position, and kinetic and potential energy of a vibrating mass on a spring change over the course of a cycle?
Curriculum Corner: Wave Motion
We will admit ... it's a bit early for Waves. But if that's a topic that is coming up after vibrational motion, then you might wish to inspect what we have now in our Curriculum Corner section. This is free curriculum for the taking. And for a few extra bucks, you can obtain the source documents and purchase a license to place them and any deriviative from them on your course management pages.
Physics Interactives: Vibrating Mass on a Spring Simulator
This simulation allows students to change a variable (mass, initial position, spring constant, damping coefficient, etc.) and view the effects upon the motion of a vibrating mass on a spring.
Concept Builders: Vibrational Motion, Period and Frequency of a Mass on a Spring
Here is a final Concept Builder that will provide a check of understanding of the concepts of period and frequency with specific applications to a vibrating mass on a spring. Encourage students to give it a try. Have a Task Tracker account? Add this to your assignment board.
The Calculator Pad: Vibrations and Waves, Problem Set WM3
The Calculator Pad features practice problems with immediate feedback and links to audio help and tutorial pages. In Problem Set WM3, students use the period and frequency formulae on Slide 11 to solve for an unknown. Great practice! And with a Task Tracker account, you can make it an assignment and check on student results.
Science Reasoning Center: Vibrations and Waves
Our Science Reasoning Center is the perfect place to find that activity that upgrades the level of critical thinking, data analysis, model-building, and careful reading. This is where Process is king and content is just the medium. Get students thinking and reasoning at the Science Reasoning Center. We have some activities on pendulum motion and vibrating masses on springs.
Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.