An experimental proposal for the study of coupled oscillations using a mechanical-wave spread simulator in a solid media

Abstract On this paper, we initially present an apparatus, constructed with easy-access materials that may be applied in the Hooke's law study by using PET bottle rings. At this experimentation's stage, we hope the teacher identifies along with his/her students that a broader ring has a longer elastic constant than the narrower one. Following from this, we propose a model in terms of coupled spring-mass oscillators to move forward towards the behavior analyses of a set of elevated rows comprising sinker weights connected by PET bottle rings, named in literature mechanical-wave spread simulator in a solid media. It is shown that the square of the oscillation normal modes' frequencies is proportional to the ring's spring constant (k) divided by the mass (m) of the sinker regardless of the number of rings or sinkers. Therefore, the greater the ratio k/m, the shorter the oscillation time is. We also introduce several measurement results such as period, frequency, elastic constant and mass, accompanied by a series of analysis of the relations between the quantities involved. We conclude that this study brings significant contributions to Physics teachers, especially due to the use of the wave simulator in the experimental problematization of coupled oscillations.