Mass Spring Damper Demonstrator
Introduction
The following applet was created for students to investigate the basic properties of linear systems via a simple mass, spring and Damper system. The Mass Spring Damper Demonstrator (MSDD) allows students to change the numerical constants that define the system and quickly view the effects on the time and frequency responses. Further, the MSDD's animated graphics allows students to easily correlate the graphical time response with the physical motion of the mass.
This applet requires that you have a JAVA v1.1 compatible browser.
How to use MSDD
1. select a predefined system to investigate or enter your own parameters.
2. select a forcing function from the function generator.
3. press the "calculate solution" button and wait for the numerical solver to finish calculating.
4.Once the solution is calculated, it will be stored in a list of "Saved Animations". Select a saved data set and press the "Start Animation" button.
5. another button labeled "Show I/O Summary" can be selected for more information.
More Information
For notes on background theory, click here.
For notes on implementation, click here.