Consider the spring-mass system, with the mass submerged in water, as shown in the figure. The phase space diagram for one cycle of this system is 
- A

- B

- C

- D

View written solutionFree
Correct answer: B
-
Identify the system
A spring-mass system submerged in water experiences:
- restoring force of spring:
- damping force due to water:
So the equation of motion is
This is a damped harmonic oscillator.
-
Relate phase space variables
In phase space, we plot:
- horizontal axis: position
- vertical axis: momentum
For an undamped SHM, the trajectory is a closed ellipse in the - plane.
But here damping is present, so mechanical energy continuously decreases with time.
-
Effect of damping on phase trajectory
Since energy decreases, both amplitude of oscillation and maximum momentum decrease with time.
Therefore, instead of a closed ellipse, the phase point spirals inward toward the origin:
The origin corresponds to the mass finally coming to rest at equilibrium.
-
Direction of motion in phase space
The motion still oscillates while gradually losing amplitude, so the trajectory winds around the origin repeatedly, but with shrinking size.
Hence the correct phase-space plot must be an inward spiral.
-
Choose the correct option
Among the given options, the one representing an inward spiral toward the origin is Option B.
-
Comparison with stored answer
Derived answer: B
Stored correct answer: B
They match.
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