Period of nonlinear spring-mass system  by jinteni Tags:
nonlinear, period, springmass jinteni is offline Nov28-07, 03:47
PM P: 2 I wasn't sure where to post this problem, as it's
physics related, but rather advanced in its math content (and
it's a problem for my applied math course).  Considering a
spring-mass system (like here), given that the nonlinear spring
has force = qx^3, where q is the spring stiffness, what is the
period of the oscillation when the mass is released from rest at
x_0?  3. The attempt at a solution  The equation of motion of
the system is F=ma=-qx^3, so m*((d^2)x/dt^2)+q*x^3=0.
Integrating, I get the energy of the system as
(1/2)*m*((dx/dt)^2)+(1/4)*q*x^4. When released from rest at x_0,
the system then has E=(1/4)*q*x_0^4. I haven't found examples of
this type of problem anywhere, so any help would be greatly
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