Consider a damped oscillator as illustrated in Figures 15.21 and 15.22. Assume the mass is 375 g, the spring constant is 100 N/m, and b = 0.100 N4 s/m.
(a) How long does it takes for the amplitude to drop to half its initial value?
(b) What If? How long does it take for the mechanical energy to drop to half its initial value?
(c) Show that, in general, the fractional rate at which the amplitude decreases in a damped harmonic oscillator is half the fractional rate at which the mechanical energy decreases.