Question

You have a two-wheel trailer that you pull behind your ATV. Two children with a combined mass of 77.2 kg hop on board for a ride through the woods and the springs (one for each wheel) each compress by 6.37 cm. When you pull the trailer over a tree root in the trail, it oscillates with a period of 2.14 s. Determine the following.
(a) force constant of the springs 2274.43 X How is the force constant of a spring related to the force the spring exerts when it is stretched or compressed? N/m
(b) mass of the trailer kg
(c) frequency of the oscillation Hz
(d) time it takes for the trailer to bounce up and down 10 times.

Answer 1

To solve this problem it is necessary to apply the kinematic equations of motion and Hook's law.

By Hook's law we know that force is defined as,

$F= kx$

Where,

k = spring constant

x = Displacement change

PART A) For the case of the spring constant we can use the above equation and clear k so that

$k= \frac{F}{x}$

$k = \frac{mg}{x}$

$k= \frac{77.2*9.8}{0.0637}$

$k = 11876.92N/m$

Therefore the spring constant for each one is 11876.92/2 = 5933.46N/m

PART B) In the case of speed we can obtain it through the period, which is given by

$T = \frac{2\pi}{\omega}$

Re-arrange to find \omega,

$\omega = \frac{2\pi}{T}$

$\omega = \frac{2\pi}{2.14}$

$\omega = 2.93rad/s$

Then through angular kinematic equations where angular velocity is given as a function of mass and spring constant we have to

$\omega^2 = \frac{k}{m}$

$m = \frac{k}{\omega^2}$

$m = \frac{ 11876.92}{2.93}$

$m = 4093.55Kg$

Therefore the mass of the trailer is 4093.55Kg

PART C) The frequency by definition is inversely to the period therefore

$f = \frac{1}{T}$

$f = \frac{1}{2.14}$

$f = 0.4672 Hz$

Therefore the frequency of the oscillation is 0.4672 Hz

PART D) The time it takes to make the route 10 times would be 10 times the period, that is

$t_T = 10*T$

$t_T = 10 *2.14s$

$t_T = 21.4s$

Therefore the total time it takes for the trailer to bounce up and down 10 times is 21.4s