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Numerical Solution of ODEs in Physics

The document presents a quiz from the Department of Physics at NIT Calicut, focusing on solving a damped mass-spring system described by coupled ordinary differential equations. It requires students to convert these equations into first-order ODEs and apply the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method to approximate displacement, velocity, and driving force at a specific time. Initial conditions and parameters for the system are provided, along with a hint for the RK4 method to guide the numerical solution process.

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25 views1 page

Numerical Solution of ODEs in Physics

The document presents a quiz from the Department of Physics at NIT Calicut, focusing on solving a damped mass-spring system described by coupled ordinary differential equations. It requires students to convert these equations into first-order ODEs and apply the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method to approximate displacement, velocity, and driving force at a specific time. Initial conditions and parameters for the system are provided, along with a hint for the RK4 method to guide the numerical solution process.

Uploaded by

haris mk
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

Name:
NIT Calicut Role No:
Computational Physics (Code: PH-3005D)
Date: 30/01/25 Quiz 4 Maximum Marks: 5
1. Physics Problem: Coupled First and Second Order ODEs - Numerical Solution
Consider a damped mass-spring system where the displacement of the mass x(t) is governed
by the following second-order ordinary differential equation:

d2 x dx
m 2
= −kx − b + F (t)
dt dt
with the following physical parameters:
* Mass (m) = 1.0 kg * Spring constant (k) = 4.0 N/m * Damping coefficient (b) = 0.5 Ns/m
The time-dependent driving force F (t) is itself governed by the following coupled first-order
ordinary differential equation:

dF
= −γF + α sin(wt)
dt
with the parameters for the driving force:
* γ = 0.2 s−1 * α = 3.0 N/s * w = 2.0 rad/s
The initial conditions at time t = 0 are given as:
dx
* Displacement x(0) = 0.1 m * Velocity dt (0) = v(0) = 0.0 m/s * Driving force F (0) = 0.5 N
Question:
Convert this system of coupled differential equations into a system of first-order ordinary
differential equations. Then, using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method with a time step
of h = 0.1 s, numerically approximate the displacement x(t), velocity v(t) = dxdt (t), and the
driving force F (t) at time t = 0.2 s. Show the steps for the first time step (from t = 0 to
t = 0.1 s).
Retain all numerical values to exactly 6 decimal places in every step.

Hint: RK4
dy
For an ODE of the form dx = f (x, y) with initial condition y(x0 ) = y0 ;

k1 = hf (tn , yn )
h 1
k2 = hf (tn + , yn + k1 )
2 2
h 1
k3 = hf (tn + , yn + k2 )
2 2
k4 = hf (tn + h, yn + k3 )
1
yn+1 = yn + (k1 + 2k2 + 2k3 + k4 ) .
6

Student’s name: End of exam

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