Chapter 2

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

Learning Outcomes
Simple Harmonic Motion (amplitude, frequency, displacement, velocity, acceleration)  Conservation of energy in SHM  Simple pendulum and spring  Damped harmonic motion


Simple Harmonic Motion

  

Position x vs. time t Definition of period T Definition of amplitude A

Simple Harmonic Motion

 Definitions of Terms Amplitude = A = the maximum displacement of the moving object from its equilibrium position. (unit = m)

Period = T = the time it takes the object to complete one full cycle of motion. (unit = s) Frequency = f = the number of cycles or vibrations per unit of time. (unit = cycles/s = 1/s = Hz = hertz)

Simple Harmonic Motion

Motion described by this equation:
angular frequency (rad/s)

x ! A cos [t
displacement (m) amplitude (m) time (s)

is called simple harmonic motion (SHM). It is:  periodic (repeats itself in time)  oscillatory (takes place over a limited spatial range)

SHM: Reference Circle Representation

A vector of magnitude A rotates about the origin with an angular velocity [ The x component of the vector represents the displacement.

SHM: Frequency
Since there are 2T radians in each trip (cycle) around the reference circle, the cycle frequency is related to the angular frequency by [ [ ! 2Tf or f ! 2T SI units of cycle frequency, f: cycles / s = Hertz (Hz)

SHM: Velocity
We can calculate the velocity from the reference circle representation:
vT ! r[ ! A[  vT sin [t !  A[ sin [t v !  A[ sin [t

SHM: Acceleration
aC ! r[ ! A[ a ! aC cos [t a !  A[ cos [t
2 2 2

Simple Harmonic Motion

 General

Equations

Displacement from Equilibrium:

x(t) =
Velocity: Acceleration:

A cos ([t + J)
dx dt

v(t) = a(t) =

= =

 [A sin ([t + J)  [A cos ([t + J)

dv dt

SHM Systems

The Period of a Mass on a Spring

Since the force on a mass on a spring is proportional to the displacement, and also to the acceleration, we find that Substituting the time dependencies of a and x gives

The Period of a Mass on a Spring

Therefore, the period is

Energy Conservation in Oscillatory Motion In an ideal system with no nonconservative forces, the total mechanical energy is conserved. For a mass on a spring:

Since we know the position and velocity as functions of time, we can find the maximum kinetic and potential energies:

Energy Conservation in Oscillatory Motion

As a function of time,

So the total energy is constant; as the kinetic energy increases, the potential energy decreases, and vice versa.

The Pendulum
A simple pendulum consists of a mass m (of negligible size) suspended by a string or rod of length L (and negligible mass). The angle it makes with the vertical varies with time as a sine or cosine.

Energy Conservation in Oscillatory Motion

This diagram shows how the energy transforms from potential to kinetic and back, while the total energy remains the same.

The Pendulum
A simple pendulum consists of a mass m (of negligible size) suspended by a string or rod of length L (and negligible mass). The angle it makes with the vertical varies with time as a sine or cosine.

The Pendulum
Looking at the forces on the pendulum bob, we see that the restoring force is proportional to sin , whereas the restoring force for a spring is proportional to the displacement (which is in this case).

The Pendulum
However, for small angles, sin approximately equal. and are

The Pendulum
Substituting for sin allows us to treat the pendulum in a mathematically identical way to the mass on a spring. Therefore, we find that the period of a pendulum depends only on the length of the string:

The Pendulum
A physical pendulum is a solid mass that oscillates around its center of mass, but cannot be modeled as a point mass suspended by a massless string. Examples:

The Pendulum
In this case, it can be shown that the period depends on the moment of inertia:

Substituting the moment of inertia of a point mass a distance l from the axis of rotation gives, as expected,

Damped Oscillations
In most physical situations, there is a nonconservative force of some sort, which will tend to decrease the amplitude of the oscillation, and which is typically proportional to the speed:

This causes the amplitude to decrease exponentially with time:

Damped Oscillations
This exponential decrease is shown in the figure:

Damped Oscillations
The previous image shows a system that is underdamped it goes through multiple oscillations before coming to rest. A critically damped system is one that relaxes back to the equilibrium position without oscillating and in minimum time; an overdamped system will also not oscillate but is damped so heavily that it takes longer to reach equilibrium.

Summary of Chapter 2
Period: time required for a motion to go through a complete cycle Frequency: number of oscillations per unit time Angular frequency:

Simple harmonic motion occurs when the restoring force is proportional to the displacement from equilibrium.

Summary of Chapter 2
The amplitude is the maximum displacement from equilibrium. Position as a function of time:

Velocity as a function of time:

Summary of Chapter 2
Acceleration as a function of time:

Period of a mass on a spring:

Total energy in simple harmonic motion:

Summary of Chapter 2
Potential energy as a function of time:

Kinetic energy as a function of time:

A simple pendulum with small amplitude exhibits simple harmonic motion

Summary of Chapter 2
Period of a simple pendulum:

Period of a physical pendulum: