Timeline for What affects the damping of a spring?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2011 at 23:38 | vote | accept | MathsStudent | ||
| Apr 11, 2011 at 8:45 | comment | added | David Z | @MathsStudent: Mark has given you a lot of help here. It seems to me that the underlying problem is that you don't understand how to design an experiment. We can't really explain that to you here in the level of detail it sounds like you need. I'd suggest that you seek help directly from your teacher. | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 8:33 | comment | added | MathsStudent | Okay, so the variables so far are: initial extension of spring (independent), period of oscillation and time for spring to stop (dependent variable) and mass of weight on spring (independent variable). What other variables are there, or perhaps more importantly, how can I find what the other variables are? | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 8:31 | comment | added | Mark Eichenlaub | @Maths differential equations are a topic in the mathematical field of analysis. You can learn about them in college after taking a good calculus course. As for independent and dependent variables, the dependent variables are what you measure as a response to changing the independent variables. The time it takes the spring to stop might be a dependent variable, while the weight on the spring might be an independent variable. Unless you are going to directly measure the frictional forces, they are neither. | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 8:22 | comment | added | MathsStudent | Are you able to explain the 'second order differential equation' for dampening at the wiki you linked to? I don't understand where the equation comes from, how it's used, and none of the letters/symbols in the equation are defined on the site.. | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 8:20 | comment | added | MathsStudent | I understand what independent and dependent variables are, but not how to figure out what they are in this scenario. It seems the frictional force is one variable, and I'm assuming that would need to be a controlled variable. Judging by the 'second order differential equation' the initial extension of the string is also a variable. I assume there must be many others, but I can't find any info on the topic. Doing a simple search for 'variables in dampening shm' finds nothing. | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 8:12 | comment | added | Mark Eichenlaub | @Maths I think I've done enough for now. If you understand what controls and independent and dependent variables are, you should be able to take it from here. | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 8:09 | comment | added | MathsStudent | Okay, so what variables would need to be tested, and what variables would be controlled in the scenario outlined? | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 7:55 | comment | added | Mark Eichenlaub | @Maths The damping ratio simply tells you how close something is to being critically damped. Critically damped is the least amount of damping that still keeps the spring from oscillating back and forth about the equilibrium. | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 7:50 | comment | added | MathsStudent | In regards to an experiment, it will likely be investigating damping considering only frictional forces. I'm intending to measure the gradual decrease in the amplitude of a spring. It sounds like the dampening ratio will be relevant in that scenario. I've read the wiki page, but I'm afraid I don't really understand it. Could you explain the concept in simpler terms? | |
| Apr 11, 2011 at 7:45 | history | answered | Mark Eichenlaub | CC BY-SA 3.0 |