CU1.

MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

HARMONIC MOTION AND CIRCULAR MOTION:

Main facts:

• Cosines are involved in the solution of general equation of Harmonic

Oscillator → artificial relationship to circles (the linear motion just
goes up and down).

• We have, in fact, already solved that differential equation when we

were studying the mechanics of circular motion.

If a particle moves in a circle with a constant speed v, the radius vector from the center of the circle to the
particle turns through an angle (θ) whose size is proportional to the time:

By definition, θ = L/R = arc minor / radius, so,

θ = vt / R → dθ/dt = v / R = ω0 → a = v2/R = ω02R (Equations of Movement)

PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ
CU1. MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

We also know that the position x, y, at a given moment can be computed as:

For acceleration components:

with a minus sign because it is toward the center, and as geometrically constructed.

As seen, when a particle is moving in a circle, the horizontal component of its motion has an acceleration
which is proportional to the horizontal displacement from the center.

From acceleration expression, we also have:

x = Rcos(ω0t) (solution for motion in a circle)

radius-independent, thus valid for any circle for a given ω0.

PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ
CU1. MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

For several reasons, we expect that the displacement of a mass on a spring will turn out to be proportional
to cos(ω0t):

➢ Same motion as we would see if we looked at the x-component of the position of an object rotating in a
circle with angular velocity ω0.

Check: experiment to show the equivalence between simple harmonic and uniform circular motion → up-
and-down motion of a mass on a spring is the same as that of a point going around in a circle.

PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ

CU1. MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

Remarks on the figure/video:

1. An arc light projected on a screen casts shadows of a crank pin on a shaft and of a vertically oscillating
mass, side by side.
2. If we let go of the mass at the right time from the right place, and if the shaft speed is carefully
adjusted so that the frequencies match, each should follow the other exactly.

uniform motion in a circle is mathematically related to oscillatory up-and-down motion

(oscillatory motion in a simpler way by imagining it to be a projection of something going in a circle)

• Although the distance y means nothing in the oscillator problem, we may still artificially
supplement dynamic equation with another one using y and put the two together:

➢ We will be able to analyze our 1D oscillator with circular motions, which is a lot easier than
having to solve a differential equation.

PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ

CU1. MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

Initial conditions in the Harmonic Motion:

The goal → what determines the constants A and B, or a and Δ … of course these are determined by how
we start the motion → Initial Conditions, e.g.:

• Starting the motion with a small displacement → one type of oscillation.

• If starting with an initial displacement and then push up when we let it go → different oscillation.

We would like to connect the initial conditions with the constants, it turns out to be easiest if we use the
already review equations, the last one of:

PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ

CU1. MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

Suppose that at t = 0 we have started with an initial displacement x0 and a certain velocity v0 → the most
general way we can start the motion (we can’t specify a0, because it is determined by the spring, once
specified x0). Now let us calculate A and B.

We start with the equation for x:

Since we shall later need the velocity also, we differentiate x and obtain:

These expressions are valid for all t, but we have special knowledge about x and v at t = 0. If put t = 0 into
these equations, on the left we get x0 and v0, because that is what x and v are at t = 0. Therefore, we get:

PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ

CU1. MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

So, for this particular case we find that:

From these values of A and B, we can get a and Δ if we wish.

There is one physically interesting thing to check: the conservation of energy. Since there are no
frictional losses, energy ought to be conserved. Let us use the formula:

Now let us find out what the kinetic energy T is, and what the potential energy U is. The potential energy at
any moment is (½)kx2, x is the displacement, k the constant of the spring.

If we substitute for x, using our expression above, we get:

PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ

CU1. MOVIMIENTO ARMÓNICO

U is not constant and never becomes negative, there is always some energy in the spring, but the amount
of energy fluctuates with x. On the other hand, T = (½)mv2, and by substituting for v:

Now, T = 0 when x is at the maximum (v = 0), and T is maximal when x is passing through 0 (it is moving
fastest).
This variation of T is just the opposite of that of U. But the total energy (T+U) ought to be a constant. If we
note that k = mω02, we see that:

✓ The energy is dependent on the square of the amplitude: if we have twice the amplitude, we get an
oscillation which has four times the energy.
✓ The average potential energy is half the maximum and, therefore, half the total, and the average
kinetic energy is likewise half the total energy.
PHYSICS II PROF. DR. HAROLD YEPES RAMIREZ