Free Vibrations Of A Mass Spring System fits to the sturdy Test Frame for study or demonstration. A back panel fixes to the Test Frame. The panel holds two vertical guide rods and a non-contacting displacement sensor. A test spring suspends a balanced mass platform which vibrates vertically in the guide rods. Therefore, students can easily make the link to simple harmonic motion - defined as the oscillatory motion where the restoring force is proportional to the displacement. The mass-spring system is one of the most easily explainable oscillatory systems. This is because students may already be familiar with Hookes Law, showing the force exerted by a spring is proportional to the extension.
Free Vibrations Of A Mass Spring System is part of a range that explores free vibrations in simple one degree of freedom systems.
It introduces students to key scientific terms such as:
Spring constant and Hookes Law
Oscillation damping
Simple harmonic motion and frequency of oscillation
Phase difference between displacement and its derivatives.
