Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Oscillations: Problem Problem_101

A 1.2 kg block sliding on a horizontal frictionless surface is attached to a horizontal spring with \(k = 480 \text{ N/m}\). Let \(x\) be the displacement of the block from the position at which the spring is unstretched. At \(t = 0\) the block passes through \(x = 0\) with a speed of \(5.2 \text{ m/s}\) in the positive \(x\) direction. What are (a) frequency and (b) amplitude of the block’s motion? (c) Write an expression for \(x\) as a function of time.