A mass-spring system oscillates with a period of 2.0 s. If the mass is quadrupled, what will be the new period?

Core Concept

The period of a mass-spring system is given by T = 2π√(m/k), where m is the mass and k is the spring constant. If the mass is quadrupled (m becomes 4m), the new period becomes T' = 2π√(4m/k) = 2 × 2π√(m/k) = 2T. Therefore, the new period is 4.0 s.