---
title: "An average adult elephant \\( (5000 \\, \\text{kg}) \\) is strapped to a spring, which is then pulled \\( 2 \\, \\text{meters} \\) away from its equilibrium position and released. The elephant starts oscillating back and forth with a period of \\( 10 \\) seconds. Calculate how long it will take the elephant to travel."
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/28714/"
date_modified: "2025-03-11T05:46:42+00:00"
---

# An average adult elephant \( (5000 \, \text{kg}) \) is strapped to a spring, which is then pulled \( 2 \, \text{meters} \) away from its equilibrium position and released. The elephant starts oscillating back and forth with a period of \( 10 \) seconds. Calculate how long it will take the elephant to travel.

An average adult elephant \( (5000 \, \text{kg}) \) is strapped to a spring, which is then pulled \( 2 \, \text{meters} \) away from its equilibrium position and released. The elephant starts oscillating back and forth with a period of \( 10 \) seconds.

**Part a)** Determine the spring constant of the spring. *(2 points)*

**Part b)** Write down the equation of motion (position equation) for the elephant on the spring. *(3 points)*

**Part c)** Calculate how long it will take the elephant to travel from a displacement of \( 0.5 \, \text{m} \) to a displacement of \( 1 \, \text{m} \). *(3 points)*


*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/28714/*