Serway & Jewett — Oscillatory Motion: Problem 14

Review. A 65.0-kg bungee jumper steps off a bridge with a light bungee cord tied to her body and to the bridge. The unstretched length of the cord is 11.0 m. The jumper reaches the bottom of her motion 36.0 m below the bridge before bouncing back. We wish to find the time interval between her leaving the bridge and her arriving at the bottom of her motion. Her overall motion can be separated into an 11.0-m free fall and a 25.0-m section of simple harmonic oscillation. (a) For the free-fall part, what is the appropriate analysis model to describe her motion? (b) For what time interval is she in free fall? (c) For the simple harmonic oscillation part of the plunge, is the system of the bungee jumper, the spring, and the Earth isolated or nonisolated? (d) From your response in part (c) find the spring constant of the bungee cord. (e) What is the location of the equilibrium point where the spring force balances the gravitational force exerted on the jumper? (f) What is the angular frequency of the oscillation? (g) What time interval is required for the cord to stretch by 25.0 m? (h) What is the total time interval for the entire 36.0-m drop?