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BiGyElLoWhAt
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Homework Statement
The system is a spring with constant 3k hanging from a ceiling with a mass m attached to it, then attached to that mass another spring with constant 2k and another mass m attached to that.
So spring -> mass -> spring ->mass.
Find the normal modes and characteristic system. I'm assuming it should be characteristic equation. Maybe not.
Homework Equations
dE/dt = 0
The Attempt at a Solution
So I have ##T = 1/2 m \dot{x}_1^2 + 1/2 m (\dot{x}_1 + \dot{x}_2)^2##
but the real problem at this point is in V
##V = 1/2 (3k)x_1^2 +1/2 (2k)x_2^2 + mg(H - (2x_1 + x_2))##
I'm not sure how to get gravity into a coefficient matrix to solve this differential equation, since they are only dependent on 1 x term each. So x_1^2 goes in 1,1 and x_2^2 goes in 2,2 and x_1x_2/2 goes in both 1,2 and 2,1. I'm not sure what to do with x_1 and x_2 terms, though. Thanks.
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