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AP Physics C: Mechanics
7.4 Energy of Simple Harmonic Oscillators
7.1 Defining Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)
AdvancedMCQMathematicalProportional Analysis21.1k
A schematic diagram showing two identical horizontal spring-mass systems arranged one above the other, labeled System 1 and System 2. A single vertical dashed line extends downward through both systems to indicate the equilibrium position, labeled x = 0. For System 1, a horizontal line represents a frictionless floor and a vertical wall is at the left. A horizontal coil spring of force constant k connects the wall to a rectangular block of mass m. The right edge of the block is aligned with a vertical tick mark labeled x = A. For System 2, identical floor, wall, spring, and block are shown directly below System 1. The right edge of this block is aligned with a vertical tick mark labeled x = A/2. A thick horizontal arrow pointing to the right contacts the left face of the block in System 2, labeled J. No other labels, lines, text, or axes appear.
Initial configurations of System 1 and System 2 at time t = 0.
Two identical horizontal spring-mass systems, each consisting of a block of mass \(m\) attached to an ideal spring of force constant \(k\), rest on a frictionless surface.

System 1 is displaced to position \(x = A\) and released from rest at time \(t = 0\), oscillating with total mechanical energy \(E\) and maximum speed \(v_{1,\max}\).

System 2 is initially held at rest at position \(x = \dfrac{1}{2}A\), and at time \(t = 0\) receives an instantaneous horizontal impulse that sets it into oscillation with total mechanical energy \(2E\).

What is the ratio of the speed of the block in System 2 immediately after the impulse to the maximum speed of the block in System 1?

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