a common physics problem and the archetype of the system for Simple Harmonic Motion
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. In its classic form, the mass on a spring consists of a mass attached to a massless and ideal [Hookes Law] spring (for which the restoring force is linearly proportional to the spring displacement from its equilibrium position).
The classic case considers a mass resting on a frictionless surface, moving horizontally, as in the worked Example Mass Between Two Springs, but the situation is equivalent for a mass hanging from a vertical spring, as we demonstrate in the Worked Example [Mass Hanging from a Vertical Spring].