Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Oscillations: Problem Problem_59

For the damped oscillator system shown in Fig. 15.5.1, the block has a mass of 1.50 kg and the spring constant is 8.00 N/m. The damping force is given by \(-b(dx/dt)\), where \(b = 230\) g/s. The block is pulled down 12.0 cm and released. (a) Calculate the time required for the amplitude of the resulting oscillations to fall to one-third of its initial value. (b) How many oscillations are made by the block in this time?