Lab 2: The Conservation of Mechanical Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion

Author: Dhruv Vaspate

Student Number: 501097440
Course: PCS 125
Section: 40
Instructor: Aidan Brown
Teaching Assistant: Bahareh Chaichypour
Date of Submission: Feb 17th, 2022

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Introduction:
The focus of this experiment is on energy conservation inside a simple harmonic system
spring-mass system. The major goal of this lab is to observe and assess whether the system's total
mechanical energy is conserved. The experiment will be carried out in the Phet Colorado "Mass
and Springs" simulator, which will be utilised to follow the data generated by the simulation
while maintaining some constants throughout the experiment[2].

Prediction:
The experiment will measure the location of the spring in relation to time using the tools
provided by the simulator. This will aid in finding the objective since it will be used to calculate
the velocity, then the elastic potential energy, and finally the kinetic energy. Kinetic and
potential energy measurements would be inversely proportional to one another. This is because,
in a spring mass system that deals with elastic potential energy and only contains vertical forces,
they are inherently opposed to one another. Since elastic potential energy is primarily reliant on
height and the spring to acquire force, kinetic energy is more focused on movement. This can be
observed mathematically by deriving an equation using Newton’s Second Law and Hooke’s
Law[1][3][2]:

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Procedure:
1. Open the Phet Colorado "Mass and Springs" simulator. Set the mass values to 100g
and the spring constant to the second increment. The gravity should also be set to a
default of 9.8m/s2

2. Insert the ruler tool, movable line tool and the mass equilibrium line into the
simulator. Position the ruler tool on the left side of the mass so that the 20 cm mark is
directly adjacent to the top of the mass as follows. Position the movable line tool at

the 20 cm mark as well.

3. Drag the load down to 30 cm (10 cm difference from the origin), then using the
forward button bring the mass back to the origin. Insert the timer tool once the mass
is at the origin and press start. Using the forward button, measure the position in time
increments of 0.05 seconds. Continue until 2 whole oscillations are completed.

4. Enter all the position and their respective time measurements into a data table in
excel. Using the information, create a graph.

5. Using the equation of elastic potential energy.

Find potential energy of each position entry in the data table. Create a graph
comparing potential energy with respect to time
6. Find the velocity using displacement/time. This can be done by calculating the
change in 2 points of position divided by the change in 2 points of time to find the

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 velocity of the mass at each time increment. The velocity calculation will be used to
calculate the kinetic energy of the system.

7. Using the kinetic energy equation.

Find the kinetic energy of each velocity in the data table. Create a graph comparing
the kinetic energy with respect to time.
Results and Calculations:
Graph 1: Position vs. Time Graph of the Spring-System

Postion vs. Time Graph

10
8
6
4
Position (cm)

2
Position (cm)
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 Parameter Line
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
Time (s)

- The parameter line is a line of best fit that is fitted in the graph using the equation:

- It is found through trial and error on the parameter equation above and has these as its
parameters:

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 Parameter
s Values
A 10
B 1.1
C 0.24
D 0

The frequency is determined by the B value, this can also give us the spring constant value.

Graph 2: Potential Energy vs. Time of the Spring System

Potential Energy v.s Time

12

10
Potential Energy (J)

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Time (s)

- The potential energy graph was calculated using the equation:

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 Graph 3: Kinetic Energy vs. Time of the Spring System

Kinetic Energy v.s Time

6

4
Kinetic Energy (J)

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2

Time (s)

- The kinetic energy graph was calculated using the equation:

Discussion and Conclusion:

In conclusion, the experiment accomplished its goal of demonstrating that total
mechanical energy is conserved in a spring mass system. When looking at the graphs above more
closely, it can be observed that the position time graph forms a sine graph, which looks a lot like
the potential energy graph. Potential energy is at the same value at the highest point in the sine
wave (crest), indicating that potential energy is directly related to the highest point on the spring
when it is compressed. Since potential energy for the spring system is postulated from the elastic
potential energy equation:

one can observe that the height is a major determining factor in the potential energy calculation.
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 Potential energy is the amount of stored energy that an object has at its current location. It
is hypothesized that potential energy would be at its maximum value at the highest point of the
motion. The stored potential energy is transformed to kinetic energy once it has been consumed.
As a result, kinetic energy is inversely proportional to the potential energy required in motion. In
this experiment, you can see this behaviour.
Potential energy has reached its greatest value when the spring mass system reaches its
highest position on the graph. However, kinetic energy would be at its lowest position on the
graph, and hence its lowest value, at this maximum point. This supports the idea that potential
and kinetic energy are inversely related, meaning that when one rises, the other falls. The fact
that the potential energy graph is a sine wave graph, and the kinetic energy graph is a cosine
wave graph contributes to the proportionality. This shows the difference in maxima and minima
points because when one graph is at its crest, the other is at its trough during the same time
frame[1][2][3].

This reasoning can be dissected further to see how the net mechanical energy is
conserved. Since the velocity of the mass changes directions from up to down at the peak of an

oscillation in displacement-time, there is a brief period of time when the velocity approaches
zero at the tip of the crests and troughs. This is because the kinetic energy formula is largely
reliant on the mass's velocity:
When the displacement is at a crest, the kinetic energy is at a minima or near a trough;
this is visible in the graphs with the potential energy and displacement being at a high crest in the
experiment while the kinetic energy is at zero. Overall, research demonstrated that energy is
transferred from potential energy at high heights and stationary masses to kinetic energy during
high velocities amongst motion, depending on the position of the mass and whether it is in
motion or not.
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 Since potential and kinetic energy are inversely proportionate and equivalent, they are
used interchangeably. As shown in the prediction portion of this lab, the initial total mechanical
energy in the system is equal to the final total mechanical energy in the system, indicating that
energy is conserved within the system.

The lab meets its objective of showing that the total mechanical energy is conserved.

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References:
1. Brown, Aidan. “Simple Harmonic Oscillator Part 1” PCS125-Physics: Waves and Fields,

2022,

2. Brown, Aidan. “Simple Harmonic Oscillator Part 2” PCS125-Physics: Waves and Fields,

2022,

3. Brown, Aidan. “Pendulum Damping” PCS125-Physics: Waves and Fields, 2022,