Lesson 13.2.2

13.2.2 Damping and energy in oscillations Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Physics, Unit 13

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 13.2.2, Damping and energy in oscillations: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Physics (9PH0), Unit 13: Oscillations, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. How does amplitude change over time in a lightly damped oscillator?

    • Decreases exponentially
    • Increases exponentially
    • Decreases linearly
    • Remains constant

  2. Which damping returns a system to equilibrium fastest without oscillating?

    • Heavy damping
    • Critical damping
    • Undamped motion
    • Light damping

  3. The total energy of a simple harmonic oscillator is proportional to what?

    • Amplitude
    • Mass squared
    • Frequency
    • Amplitude squared

  4. A spring of stiffness 100 N m^-1 oscillates with amplitude 0.050 m. What is its total energy?

    • 0.0125 J
    • 0.125 J
    • 0.050 J
    • 0.25 J

  5. The amplitude of an undamped oscillator is halved. By what factor does its total energy change?

    • one half
    • one eighth
    • one quarter
    • unchanged

  6. A damped oscillator's amplitude falls from 10 cm to 9 cm in one cycle. What fraction of the energy is lost in that cycle?

    • 19%
    • 1%
    • 81%
    • 10%

  7. A 0.50 kg mass oscillates with total energy 0.125 J. What is its maximum speed?

    • 0.71 m s^-1
    • 0.25 m s^-1
    • 0.50 m s^-1
    • 0.35 m s^-1

  8. A 2.0 kg pendulum bob is released from a height 0.10 m above its lowest point. What is its kinetic energy at the lowest point?

    • 0.98 J
    • 20 J
    • 2.0 J
    • 0.20 J

  9. At what displacement in SHM are kinetic and potential energy equal?

    • 0.87 A
    • A / 4
    • A / 2
    • A / sqrt(2), about 0.71 A

  10. Into which energy store is mechanical energy dissipated in a damped oscillator?

    • Elastic potential energy
    • Nuclear energy
    • Gravitational potential energy
    • Thermal energy

  11. What process in a ductile metal damps vibrations effectively?

    • Elastic deformation
    • Brittle fracture
    • Work hardening
    • Plastic deformation

  12. In an undamped simple harmonic oscillator, what quantity remains constant?

    • Kinetic energy
    • Potential energy
    • Acceleration
    • Total energy

  13. An oscillator's amplitude decays exponentially, halving every 5 s. Its amplitude is 0.20 m at t = 0. When is the amplitude 0.025 m?

    • 15 s
    • 10 s
    • 2.5 s
    • 5 s

  14. A 0.40 kg mass oscillates at 2.0 Hz with amplitude 0.060 m. What is its total energy?

    • 0.45 J
    • 0.23 J
    • 0.11 J
    • 0.057 J

  15. What happens to the total mechanical energy of a damped oscillator over time?

    • Oscillates periodically
    • Decreases continually
    • Remains constant
    • Increases exponentially

  16. At maximum displacement in simple harmonic motion, all the energy is in what form?

    • Kinetic energy
    • Thermal energy
    • Potential energy
    • Chemical energy

  17. A pendulum bob of mass 0.20 kg and length 1.0 m swings with maximum speed 1.0 m s^-1. What is the kinetic energy at the lowest point?

    • 0.50 J
    • 0.10 J
    • 1.0 J
    • 0.20 J

  18. Which quantity is the same at the equilibrium position and at the extreme position of an undamped SHM oscillator?

    • Speed
    • Potential energy
    • Total energy
    • Kinetic energy

  19. A 0.50 kg mass oscillates with amplitude 0.10 m and angular frequency 4.0 rad s^-1. What is its total energy?

    • 0.080 J
    • 0.20 J
    • 0.040 J
    • 0.020 J

  20. A damped oscillator loses 36% of its energy in one cycle. What is the ratio of its new amplitude to its old amplitude?

    • 0.64
    • 0.36
    • 0.80
    • 0.20

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