As we've seen, astronauts measure their mass by measuring the period of oscillation when sitting in a chair connected to a spring. The Body Mass Measurement Device on Skylab, a 1970s space station, had a spring constant of 606 N/m. The empty chair oscillated with a period of 0.856 s. What is the mass of an astronaut who oscillates with a period of 2.19 s when sitting in the chair?

Question

Dale Burns

Physics

20 January, 09:25

As we've seen, astronauts measure their mass by measuring the period of oscillation when sitting in a chair connected to a spring. The Body Mass Measurement Device on Skylab, a 1970s space station, had a spring constant of 606 N/m. The empty chair oscillated with a period of 0.856 s. What is the mass of an astronaut who oscillates with a period of 2.19 s when sitting in the chair?

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Answers (1)

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Caroline Wilson · Answer 1

Answer: 61 45kg

Explanation:

M (ch) = [ (T²/4π²) k]

= (0.856²/4π²) * 606

= 0.0186*606

= 11.27

M (tot) = [ (T²/4π²) k]

= (2.19²/4π²) * 606

= 0.12 * 606

= 72.72

M = m (tot) - m (ch)

M = 72.72 - 11.27

M = 61.45kg