Simple Harmonic Motion describes the motion of an object which undergoes periodic motion where the restoring force is proportional to its displacement. A restoring force, which is gravity in a pendulum or the spring force in a system with a spring.
Not all periodic motion is simple harmonic motion. Periodic motion is any motion that repeats, while simple harmonic motion described the specific motion an object undergoes when the restoring force is proportional to its displacement.
The properties that are used to describe simple harmonic motion are the amplitude and period. The amplitude represents the maximum distance an object travels from its equilibrium and the period represents how long it takes for the object to make one cycle. Another way of describing how fast an object completes a cycle is its frequency, which is how many times the object completes a cycle in one second.
Not all periodic motion is simple harmonic motion. Periodic motion is any motion that repeats, while simple harmonic motion described the specific motion an object undergoes when the restoring force is proportional to its displacement.
The properties that are used to describe simple harmonic motion are the amplitude and period. The amplitude represents the maximum distance an object travels from its equilibrium and the period represents how long it takes for the object to make one cycle. Another way of describing how fast an object completes a cycle is its frequency, which is how many times the object completes a cycle in one second.
To find the period of an oscillating object graphically, locate the distance between two of the same peak.
When an object undergoes simple harmonic motion, energy is transferred to different parts of the system. When an object reaches its farthest distance from the equilibrium position, it is momentarily stationary. While the object has no kinetic energy, the spring or pendulum is storing gravitational potential energy or elastic potential energy. As this force accelerates the object toward an equilibrium position, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. When in equilibrium, there is no net force exerted on the object and all of its energy is kinetic.
When an object undergoes simple harmonic motion, energy is transferred to different parts of the system. When an object reaches its farthest distance from the equilibrium position, it is momentarily stationary. While the object has no kinetic energy, the spring or pendulum is storing gravitational potential energy or elastic potential energy. As this force accelerates the object toward an equilibrium position, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. When in equilibrium, there is no net force exerted on the object and all of its energy is kinetic.
The period of an object in simple harmonic motion can be affected by different factors depending on whether the system is a spring or pendulum. A pendulum's mass does not affect its period because it is proportional to the restoring force. This means the acceleration and therefore the period of the pendulum will always be the same. However, the longer the arm of the pendulum, the longer the period will be.
If the system is a spring, the period will increase with the object's mass and decrease with a greater spring constant. This is because a greater mass will resist acceleration while a larger spring constant will make the spring exert a larger force and therefore give the object a larger acceleration.
Object's mass effects the period of the spring and not the pendulum because mass can act either inertial or gravitational. Gravitational mass, like that in the pendulum, accelerates because of the force of gravity between it and the Earth. As a result, all objects fall at the same rate. Inertial mass, however, like that in the spring, is not pushed by gravity but by other external forces like the spring force. As a result, inertial mass can accelerate at different rates depending on the force applied.