Question

You want to build a simple metronome using only a mass and a spring. You notice that when you place a 200 g mass on your spring, the system oscillates at a rate of 80 beats per minute.

a) For this system, what is the corresponding period (in seconds), frequency (in Hz), and radial frequency (in radians/second)?

b) Based on this information, what is the spring constant of your spring?

c) You now want to adjust your metronome so that it oscillates at a rate of 120 beats per minute, how heavy of a mass do you now need if you use the same spring as originally?

d) Instead of changing the mass, you now want to use the original 200 g mass but change the spring. What spring constant is required to achieve the new desired frequency of 120 beats per minute?

Answer 1