In this paper we give a general solution to the problem of the damped harmonic oscillator under the influence of an arbitrary time-dependent external force. We employ simple methods accessible for beginners and useful for undergraduate students and professors in an introductory course of mechanics.

We propose an analytic solution to the problem of the mechanical paradox consisting of a sphere rolling upwards on two diverging inclined guides as devised by Gardner. The presence of an unstable equilibrium point is highlighted and the analytic solution is found by means of elementary calculus concepts. (Contains 4 figures and 3 footnotes.)

In a recent paper (Denny 2002 Eur. J. Phys. 23 449-58), entitled "The pendulum clock: a venerable dynamical system", Denny showed that in a first approximation the steady-state motion of a weight-driven pendulum clock is shown to be a stable limit cycle. He placed the problem in a historical context and obtained an approximate solution using the…

The classical problem of the brachistochrone asks for the curve down which a body sliding from rest and accelerated by gravity will slip (without friction) from one point to another in least time. In undergraduate courses on classical mechanics, the solution of this problem is the primary example of the power of variational calculus. Here, we…

Proceeding like Newton with a discrete time approach of motion and a geometrical representation of velocity and acceleration, we obtain Kepler's laws without solving differential equations. The difficult part of Newton's work, when it calls for non-trivial properties of ellipses, is avoided by the introduction of polar coordinates. Then a simple…