Alameen Damer said:Let's say I have a mass attached to an oscillating spring on a friction less horizontal surface. Why is it that the speed of the mass is greatest at equilibrium?
Alameen Damer said:I would have thought it would be greatest just before reaching the amplitudes due to maximum kinetic energy?
Alameen Damer said:I see so as it passes the equilibrium, does the net force begin acting opposite to the motion decreasing velocity?
The restoring force always acts toward the equilibrium point. So, when the mass moves toward the equilibrium point, the force speeds it up; when it moves away, the force slows it down.Alameen Damer said:I see so as it passes the equilibrium, does the net force begin acting opposite to the motion decreasing velocity?
Equilibrium of a spring refers to the state where the forces acting on the spring are balanced, resulting in no net force and no acceleration.
Hooke's Law states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to its displacement from its equilibrium position. Therefore, when a spring is in equilibrium, the force exerted by the spring is equal to the force applied to it, resulting in a net force of zero.
The equilibrium position of a spring is affected by its spring constant (k), the force applied to it, and its initial length. The greater the force applied or the smaller the spring constant, the greater the displacement from the equilibrium position.
When an object is attached to a spring and released from a displacement, it will oscillate around the equilibrium position. The speed of the object is greatest at the equilibrium position, as it experiences no net force and continues moving with its initial velocity.
As an object moves away from the equilibrium position, the force exerted by the spring increases, resulting in an acceleration towards the equilibrium position. This acceleration causes the object to slow down until it reaches its maximum displacement, where it changes direction and starts moving back towards the equilibrium position with increasing speed.