Chapter 8, Problem 50P

A particle of mass 0.50 kg moves along the $x$ -axis with a potential energy whose dependence on $x$ is shown below. (a) What is the force on the particle at $x$ = 2.0, 5.0, 8.0, and 12 m? (b) If the total mechanical energy $E$ of the particle is —6.0 J, what are the minimum and maximum positions of the particle? (c) What are these positions if $E$ = 2.0 J? (d) If $E$ = 16 J, what are the speeds of the particle at the positions listed in part (a)?