Simple harmonic motion

An informative paper

Introduction 2
More in-depth introduction 2
Example of SHM 2

Difference between Periodic, Oscillation and Simple Harmonic Motion 2

Periodic Motion 2
Oscillation Motion 2
Simple Harmonic Motion or SHM 3
Conditions to produce SHM 3

More about SHM 3

Types of Simple Harmonic Motion 3
Linear Simple Harmonic Motion 3
Conditions for Linear SHM: 3
Angular Simple Harmonic Motion 3
Conditions to Execute Angular SHM: 4
Terms to understand the concept of SHM 4
SHM equations and solutions 4
Velocity of the object as a function of time 6
Acceleration of the object as a function of time 6
Frequency 6
General form solution to Simple harmonic Oscillator 7
To proof of the equation 8
Force in SHM 9
How to calculate force 9

SHM Graphs 9
Displacement time graph 10
Velocity time graph 11
Acceleration time graph 11

Damped oscillations 11
Types of damping 12
Light damping 12
Features of a displacement time graph of a lightly damped system 12

Sources 12
Introduction
Simple Harmonic Motion, as the name applies, is in which the restoring force is directly
proportional to the displacement of the body from it’s mean position. The direction of this
restoring force is always towards the mean position.
The acceleration of a particle executing simple harmonic motion is given by a(t) = -ω2 x(t).
● “ω” is angular velocity.

More in-depth introduction

Simple harmonic motion can be described as an oscillatory motion in which the acceleration of
the particle at any position is directly proportional to the displacement from the mean position. It
is a special case of oscillatory motion.

All the Simple Harmonic Motions are oscillatory and also periodic but not all oscillatory motions
are SHM. Oscillatory motion is also called the harmonic motion of all the oscillatory motions
wherein the most important one is simple harmonic motion (SHM).

Example of SHM
The study of Simple Harmonic Motion is very useful and forms an important tool in
understanding the characteristics of sound waves, light waves and alternating currents. Any
oscillatory motion which is not simple Harmonic can be expressed as a superposition of several
harmonic motions of different frequencies.
Difference between Periodic, Oscillation and Simple
Harmonic Motion
Periodic Motion
● A motion repeats itself after an equal interval of time. For example, uniform circular
motion.
● There is no equilibrium position.
● There is no restoring force.
● There is no stable equilibrium position.

Oscillation Motion
● To and fro motion of a particle about a mean position is called an oscillatory motion in
which a particle moves on either side of equilibrium (or) mean position is an oscillatory
motion.
● It is a kind of periodic motion bounded between two extreme points. For example,
Oscillation of Simple Pendulum, Spring-Mass System.
● The object will keep on moving between two extreme points about a fixed point called
mean position (or) equilibrium position along any path. (the path is not a constraint).
● There will be a restoring force directed towards equilibrium position (or) mean position.
● In an oscillatory motion, the net force on the particle is zero at the mean position.
● The mean position is a stable equilibrium position.

Simple Harmonic Motion or SHM

● It is a special case of oscillation along a straight line between the two extreme points (the
path of SHM is a constraint).
● Path of the object needs to be a straight line.
● There will be a restoring force directed towards equilibrium position (or) mean position.
● Mean position in Simple harmonic motion is a stable equilibrium.

Conditions to produce SHM

The restoring force must be proportional to the displacement and act opposite to the direction of
motion with no drag forces or friction.
More about SHM

Types of Simple Harmonic Motion

● Linear SHM
● Angular SHM

Linear Simple Harmonic Motion

When a particle moves to and fro about a fixed point (called equilibrium position) along with a
straight line then its motion is called linear Simple Harmonic Motion.
For Example: spring-mass system.

Conditions for Linear SHM:

The restoring force or acceleration acting on the particle should always be proportional to the
displacement of the particle and directed towards the equilibrium position.

Angular Simple Harmonic Motion

When a system oscillates angular long with respect to a fixed axis then its motion is called
angular simple harmonic motion.

Conditions to Execute Angular SHM:

The restoring torque (or) Angular acceleration acting on the particle should always be
proportional to the angular displacement of the particle and directed towards the equilibrium
position.
Terms to understand the concept of SHM
● Mean Position
○ Mean Position
○ [Insert example]
● Time Period and Frequency of SHM
○ The minimum time after which the particle keeps on repeating its motion is known
as the time period (or) the shortest time taken to complete one oscillation is also
defined as the time period.
○ Frequency: The number of oscillations per second
■ Frequency = 1/T and, angular frequency ω = 2πf = 2π/T
● Phase in SHM
○ The expression, position of a particle as a function of time.
○ x = A sin (ωt + Φ)
■ Where (ωt + Φ) is the phase of the particle, the phase angle at time t = 0
is known as the initial phase.
● Phase Difference
○ The difference of total phase angles of two particles executing simple harmonic
motion with respect to the mean position.
○ If two vibrating particles are said to be in the same phase, the phase difference
between them is an even multiple of Pi.
■ ΔΦ = nπ
○ Two vibrating particles are said to be in opposite phases if the phase difference
between them is an odd multiple of Pi.
■ ΔΦ = (2n + 1) π

SHM equations and solutions

An object moving along the x-axis is said to exhibit simple harmonic motion if its position as a
function of time varies as x(t) = x0 + A cos(ωt + φ).
● To make it simpler we take the origin of the coordinate system as 0, so our equation
would be x(t) = A cos(ωt + φ).
○ A is the amplitude of the oscillation (maximum displacement of the object from
equilibrium) (or exterma).
○ Since simple harmonic motion is repetitive; T (time it takes the object to complete
one oscillation and return to
starting position).
○ ω is angular frequency
(2π/T)
■ It is measured by
radians per second.
○ φ is phase change/ phase
shift or Phi
■ We need a phase
term for all possible
starting points:
We also need coefficients for the units, since Phi is
unitless. The angle (φ) is the ratio of arc length (s) to
radius (r). Using SI units would give us meters over
meters, which dimensional analysis reduces to
nothing. In a sense, a radian is a unit of nothing.

The way around this is to add a coefficient that changes our input variable (time)
into something a trig function can handle (radians). That something is called
angular frequency, which in this case is the rate of change of the phase angle (φ)
with time (t). Its symbol is lowercase omega (ω).

The SI unit of angular frequency is the radian per second, which reduces to an
inverse second since the radian is dimensionless.

Angular frequency is great for systems that rotate (spin) or revolve (travel around
a circle), but our system is oscillating (moving back and forth). (X0)

Velocity of the object as a function of time

v(t) = -ω A sin(ωt + φ)

Acceleration of the object as a function of time

a(t) = -ω2A cos(ωt + φ)
= -ω2x

Frequency
Frequency is the rate at which a periodic event occurs. Mathematically, it's the
number of events (n) per time (t).

The SI unit of frequency is the inverse second, which is called a hertz (Hz).

Period and frequency are inverses of one another. Of course they are also
inversely proportional, but this misses the point. They are inversely
proportional with a coefficient of proportionality of one (with no unit).
Therefore, no coefficient is needed to make their inverses equal. They are
absolutely and perfectly reciprocal.
 1. It's solution is sine with a phase shift. Time is the input variable into a trig function. Trig
functions can't accept numbers with units.
2. The fix is to use angular frequency (ω). Angular frequency has no physical reality.
Frequency (f) does, however. Angular frequency counts the number of radians per
second. Frequency counts the number of events per second.
3. A sequence of events that repeats itself is called a cycle. The sine function repeats itself
after it has "moved" through 2π radians of mathematical abstractness.
4. The motion of a simple harmonic oscillator repeats itself after it has moved through one
complete cycle of simple harmonic motion.

General form solution to Simple harmonic Oscillator

Multiplying either side of this equation by time eliminates the unit from the input side of the
equation. The output of the sine function is a unitless number that varies from +1 to −1. Our
differential equation needs to generate an algebraic equation that spits out a position between
two extreme values (+A and −A) .Multiply the sine function by A. Here's the general form
solution to the simple harmonic oscillator (and many other second order differential equations).

To proof the equation

Take the differential equation

Find its derivative

Find its second derivative

We should know the derivative for displacement by now as

or
So feed the equation and its second derivative back into the differential equation

Now simplify, variables cancel out and we are left with

Then you can solve for frequency

Since we’re here you can also solve for period

As a summary
Simple harmonic motion evolves over time like a sine function with a frequency that depends
only upon the stiffness of the restoring force and the mass of the mass in motion. A stiffer spring
oscillates more frequently and a larger mass oscillates less frequently. You could also describe
these conclusions in terms of the period of simple harmonic motion. A heavier mass oscillates
with a longer period and a stiffer spring oscillates with a shorter period. Frequency and period
are not affected by the amplitude. A simple harmonic oscillator oscillating with a large amplitude
will have the same frequency and period as an identical simple harmonic oscillator oscillating
with a smaller amplitude.

Force in SHM
For simple harmonic motion, the acceleration a = -ω2x is proportional to the displacement, but in
the opposite direction. Simple harmonic motion is accelerated motion. If an object exhibits
simple harmonic motion, a force must be acting on the object.

How to calculate force

F = ma = -mω2x
According to hooke’s law, F = -kx, with k = mω2

SHM Graphs
The displacement, velocity, and
acceleration of an object in SHM can be
represented by graphs over time,
therefore they can also be represented by
periodic functions (sine and cosine
curves).

The displacement, velocity and

acceleration graphs in SHM are all 90° out
of phase with each other

Displacement time graph

● The amplitude of oscillations x0 can
be found from the maximum value
of x
● The time period of oscillations T
can be found from reading the time
taken for one full cycle
● The graph might not always start at
0
● If the oscillations starts at the
positive or negative amplitude, the displacement will be at its maximum
Velocity time graph
● Velocity is equal to the rate of change of displacement
○ So, the velocity of an oscillator at any time can be determined from the gradient
∆𝑥
.of the displacement-time graph; 𝑣 = ∆𝑡
● An oscillator moves the fastest at its equilibrium position.
○ Therefore, the velocity is at its maximum when the displacement is zero.

Acceleration time graph

● The acceleration graph is a reflection of the displacement graph on the x axis.
○ This means when a mass has positive displacement (to the right) the
acceleration is in the opposite direction (to the left) and vice versa.
● Acceleration is equal to the rate of change of velocity.
○ So, the acceleration of an oscillator at any time can be determined from the
∆𝑣
gradient of the velocity-time graph; 𝑎 = ∆𝑡
● The maximum value of the acceleration is when the oscillator is at its maximum
displacement.

Damped oscillations
● In practice, all oscillators eventually stop oscillating
○ Their amplitudes decrease rapidly, or gradually
● This happens due to resistive forces, such friction or air resistance, which act in the
opposite direction to the motion of an oscillator
● Resistive forces acting on an oscillating simple harmonic system cause damping
○ These are known as damped oscillations
● Damping is defined as:
The reduction in energy and amplitude of oscillations due to resistive forces on the oscillating
system
● Damping continues until the oscillator comes to rest at the equilibrium position
● A key feature of simple harmonic motion is that the frequency of damped oscillations
does not change as the amplitude decreases
In the damped simple harmonic motion, the energy of the oscillator dissipates continuously. But
for a small damping, the oscillations remain approximately periodic. The forces which dissipate
the energy are generally frictional forces.

Types of damping
3 types, they depend on how quickly the amplitude of the oscillations decrease;
1. Light damping
2. Critical damping
3. Heavy damping
Light damping
When oscillations are lightly damped, the amplitude does not decrease linearly.
● It decays exponentially with time.
When a lightly damped oscillator is displaced from the equilibrium, it will oscillate with gradually
decreasing amplitude
● For example, a swinging pendulum decreasing in amplitude until it comes to a stop

Features of a displacement time graph of a lightly damped system

● Represented by a sine or cosine curve
○ This can be proven by the maximum (amplitude) of the curve decreasing in both
the negative and positive displacement values.
● The amplitude decreases exponentially
● The frequency of the oscillations remain constant;
○ The period of oscillations must stay the same and each peak is equally spaced.
Sources
https://physics.info/sho/
http://labman.phys.utk.edu/phys221core/modules/m11/harmonic_motion.html
https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/15-1-simple-harmonic-motion
https://byjus.com/jee/simple-harmonic-motion-shm/
https://www.savemyexams.co.uk/notes/a-level-physics-cie/17-oscillations/17-1-simple-harmonic-
motion/17-1-5-shm-graphs/
https://www.savemyexams.co.uk/notes/a-level-physics-cie/17-oscillations/17-2-damped-oscillati
ons/17-2-1-damping/
https://www.toppr.com/guides/physics/oscillations/damped-simple-harmonic-motion/.

Done by Shwan S., Safe W., Ali Y., and Awab