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arxiv: 1810.13365 · v1 · pith:Q6S2TUXQnew · submitted 2018-10-31 · ⚛️ physics.class-ph

Relativistic spring-mass system

classification ⚛️ physics.class-ph
keywords relativisticsystemequationspring-massharmonicmassnonrelativisticone-dimensional
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The harmonic oscillator plays a central role in physics describing the dynamics of a wide range of systems close to stable equilibrium points. The nonrelativistic one-dimensional spring-mass system is considered a prototype representative of it. It is usually assumed and galvanized in textbooks that the equation of motion of a relativistic harmonic oscillator is given by the same equation as the nonrelativistic one with the mass $M$ at the tip multiplied by the relativistic factor $1/(1 - v^2/c^2)^{1/2}$. Although the solution of such an equation may depict some physical systems, it does not describe, in general, one-dimensional relativistic spring-mass oscillators under the influence of elastic forces. In recognition to the importance of such a system to physics, we fill a gap in the literature and offer a full relativistic treatment for a system composed of a spring attached to an inertial wall, holding a mass $M$ at the end.

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