 Solution

For conservative forcing in averaged oscillator equations, $f=f(y)$, the average determining $R_T$ vanishes. If $F^{\prime }=f$, thenwhose period average is zero. Thus $R=R_0$ to this order, while a position-dependent force generally shifts the oscillation phase and frequency. The exact equation also conserves the energy $\frac{1}{2}{\dot{y}}^2+\frac{1}{2}{y}^2-\epsilon F(y)$, consistent with the absence of amplitude drift for bounded orbits.

For the cubic position force, $⟨f\cos \varphi ⟩=R^3⟨{\cos }^4\varphi ⟩=3R^3/8$. ThereforeThe leading oscillation is $R_0\cos [(1-3\epsilon R_0^2/8)t+{\theta }_0]$. For positive $\epsilon$ it is a softening cubic oscillator, obtained by weakly perturbing a harmonic oscillator. The weak-force condition is $\epsilon R_0^2\ll 1$; the constant $R$ is the leading harmonic amplitude, not a claim that the exact waveform remains sinusoidal.