AP Physics C: Simple Harmonic Motion
21. A particle of mass 2.0 kg moves along the x-axis subject to a net force of F = 2 + 5x - x^2, where F is in newtons and x is in meters.
(a) Find a position of stable equilibrium about which the particle can oscillate. (b) Determine the period assuming the amplitude of the oscillation is very small. (Hint: a "small piece" of this function can be viewed as "approximately linear" with a particular slope - use this idea to find a value of k.)
21. a. x = 5.4 m
b. 3.7 s