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You may have noticed that
the constant of acelleration
dropped out of the formulas.
Indeed, the mass-spring system performs
exactly the same oscillations
when you let it oscillate horizontally.
This is just a bit more difficult from the experimental point of view,
because you need a floor or a table to support horizontal motion.
Floors and tables usually give unwanted friction.
But, with the air rail you may perform such experiments.
You also may have noticed that
the period T does not depend
on the amplitude A.
This is of course only true for small oscillations,
where the system does not suffer permanent changes,
like overstressing the string such that it gets deformed.
In the next page Walter Lewin verifies that
the period T does not depend
on the amplitude A.
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