In this paper, the vibrational motion of a flexible beam clamped on a translating base and carrying a moving mass is investigated. The equations of motion which describe the total dynamics of the beam-mass-cart system are derived and the coupled dynamic equations are solved by unconstrained modal analysis. In modal analysis, the exact normal mode solutions corresponding to the eigenfrequencies for the position of the moving mass and the ratios of the mass of the flexible beam, the moving mass and the base cart are used. Proper transformations of the time solutions between the normal modes for a position and those for the next position of the moving mass are also adopted. Numerical simulations are carried out to obtain the open-loop responses of the system in tracking the pre-designed path of the moving mass.