Assumptions - Energy Conservation: Weighted Spring

Energy Conservation: Weighted Spring simulates the simple harmonic motion of a weighted spring in order to graphically explore changes in the weighted spring's potential and kinetic energy, velocity, and position over time. The spring constant, mass, and amplitude can be varied.

For Energy Conservation: Weighted Spring, it is assumed that:

  1. The spring obeys Hooke's Law throughout the spring's range of motion, i.e. the amount by which the spring is stretched from its unstretched length is proportional to the force applied to the spring.
  2. The spring is massless.
  3. The system is frictionless.
  4. The potential energy of the system has a value of 0 when the weight is at its equilibrium position.
  5. The suspension point of the spring is located somewhere above the applet window. Its location above the window is adjusted by the applet such that the weight's equilibrium position for any mass m and any spring constant k is always located in the centre of the applet window.

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Last Updated: June 16, 2004