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For a mass on a spring, the acceleration is obtained from the force using:
ANewton's second law
BNewton's first law
CNewton's third law
DHooke's third law
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Newton's second law
1. Position and velocity as functions of time are written down first.
2. Acceleration then follows from the force the spring exerts.
3. According to Newton's second law, the acceleration is the net force divided by the mass.
4. That gives the last of the quantities needed for kinematics and a description of simple harmonic motion.
5. There is no such thing as Hooke's third law, which rules that option out immediately.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 16 'Oscillatory Motion and Waves', sections 16.1-16.11_
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