Question

A block rides on a piston that is moving vertically with simple harmonic motion. The maximum speed of the piston is 2 m/s. At what minimum amplitude of motion will the block and piston separate? $(g=10m/s^2)$

• A. 20 cm
• B. 30 cm
• C. 40 cm
• D. 50 cm

Answer 1

The correct option is C

40 cm

$v_{max}=A\omega =2m/s$ . . . .(1)
$a_{max}={\omega }^{2}A=g=10m/s^2$ . . . . (2)
For separation, the minimum amplitude should be A.
from Eqn. (1) and (2), we see that :
A = 0.4 m = 40 cm