- #1
ggilvar99
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Homework Statement
Consider 2 pendulums with the same length L, but 2 different masses Ma and Mb. They are coupled by a spring of spring constant k which is attached to the bobs (the masses).
a) find the equations of motion
b) find the frequencies and configurations of the normal modes
Homework Equations
θ''(t) = -(g/L)sinθ ≈ -(g/L)θ (using small angle approximation to keep the differential equation linear)
The Attempt at a Solution
a) I came up with:
θa''(t) = -(g/L)θa - (k/Ma)(θa - θb)
θb''(t) = -(g/L)θb - (k/Mb)(θb - θa)
b) I tried using θa(t) = θAcos(ωt - ø) and θb(t) = θBcos(ωt - ø) to solve the differential equation but I could not obtain a symmetrical matrix since the masses of the bobs are different.