Question

Etienne asks Hakim to write Newton's second law in the horizontal direction for the block-spring system when it is displaced a distance x from the equilibrium position. Which equation is correct?

Answer 1

Explanation: The correct equation for Newton's second law in the horizontal direction for the block-spring system when it is displaced a distance x from the equilibrium position is:

m(d^2x/dt^2) + kx = 0

where m is the mass of the block, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement from the equilibrium position. This equation represents the balance of forces acting on the block-spring system, with the restoring force of the spring (proportional to x) opposing the force required to accelerate the mass (proportional to d^2x/dt^2).