A space craft studying the faint rings of Jupiter is struck and crashes into one of Jupiter's moons. The ship is badly damaged and it is not clear which moon the craft smashed into. One of the micro-cameras, hanging from part of the wreckage transmits some data before going dark. The camera is found to be swinging from a thin piece of wire thought to be 6.8 cm in length and the footage indicates that it was swinging with an oscillation frequency of 0.751 Hz. NASA scientists realize that they can use this data to identify the moon upon which the craft has landed by estimating the gravitational constant of the moon. a) What is the period of oscillation? b) Estimate the gravitational acceleration, "g" of this moon.
Simple harmonic motion
Simple harmonic motion is a type of periodic motion in which an object undergoes oscillatory motion. The restoring force exerted by the object exhibiting SHM is proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium position. The force is directed towards the mean position. We see many examples of SHM around us, common ones are the motion of a pendulum, spring and vibration of strings in musical instruments, and so on.
Simple Pendulum
A simple pendulum comprises a heavy mass (called bob) attached to one end of the weightless and flexible string.
Oscillation
In Physics, oscillation means a repetitive motion that happens in a variation with respect to time. There is usually a central value, where the object would be at rest. Additionally, there are two or more positions between which the repetitive motion takes place. In mathematics, oscillations can also be described as vibrations. The most common examples of oscillation that is seen in daily lives include the alternating current (AC) or the motion of a moving pendulum.
A space craft studying the faint rings of Jupiter is struck and crashes into one of Jupiter's moons. The ship is badly damaged and it is not clear which moon the craft smashed into. One of the micro-cameras, hanging from part of the wreckage transmits some data before going dark. The camera is found to be swinging from a thin piece of wire thought to be 6.8 cm in length and the footage indicates that it was swinging with an oscillation frequency of 0.751 Hz. NASA scientists realize that they can use this data to identify the moon upon which the craft has landed by estimating the gravitational constant of the moon.
a) What is the period of oscillation?
b) Estimate the gravitational acceleration, "g" of this moon.
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