PHY11 Lesson 7

Simple Harmonic
Motion (SHM)

Periodic Motion
periodic motion motion that repeats at regular time
intervals.
Consider an object oscillating back and forth about the
origin of the x-axis.

1
T
f

1
f
T

2
2f
T
period (T) time to complete one cycle.
frequency (f) number of cycles per unit time.
amplitude (A) maximum displacement from
equilibrium position.

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

simple harmonic motion periodic motion where the
restoring force is proportional to the displacement.
Suppose the spring obeys Hookes Law, the object is
displaced by an amount x=A, and then released.

F kx
ma kx

k
a x
m
v0

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

When the object
is at the equilibrium
position x=0:

F 0

a0

v vmax
When the object
is at x = - A:

k
F kx a x
m
v0

Example 1

ANSWERS:
(a) 200 N/m (b) = 20 rad/s, f = 3.2 Hz, T = 0.31 s

SHM and UCM

Simple harmonic motion is the projection of uniform
circular motion onto a diameter.
Apparatus for creating the reference circle.

Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration in SHM

x A cos

v x vQ sin

a x aQ cos

Period and Frequency in SHM

a x aQ cos

aQ 2 A
a x A cos
2

a x 2 x

k
a x
m

2
2f
T

1
f
2

k
m

m
T 2
k

Displacement in SHM
The displacement of a body in SHM is given by the
equation:

x A cos t

where:

phase angle
The phase angle (in radians) tells the position x o of the
object at t=0.
Graph of x vs. t for SHM ( = 0):

xo A cos

Velocity in SHM
The velocity of a body in SHM is given by the equation:

dx
v
dt

v A sin t

vmax A
vo A sin

Phase Angle

vo A sin

xo
A cos

vo

tan
xo
1

Amplitude in SHM
2

vo A sin

vo
2
2
A sin
2

xo A cos

xo A cos
2

vo
2
2
2
2
xo A (sin cos )
2

vo
2
A

x
o
2

Acceleration in SHM
The acceleration of a body in SHM is given by the
equation:

dv
a
dt

a A cos t
2

amax 2 A
ao A cos
2

Example 2
Example 1

ANSWERS:
(a) T = 0.31 s, A = 0.025 m, =0.93 rad
(b) x = (0.025m) cos [(20 rad /s)t - 0.93 rad]
v = -(0.50 m/s)sin [(20 rad /s)t - 0.93 rad]
a = -(10 m/s2) cos [(20 rad /s)t - 0.93 rad]

Energy in SHM
The energy of a body in SHM is the sum of its potential
energy and kinetic energy.

1 2 1 2
E kx mv
2
2
1 2
1
2
E kA E mvmax
2
2
1 2 1 2 1 2
kA kx mv
2
2
2

k
A2 x 2
m

Example 3
Example 1

ANSWERS:
(a) vmax = 0.40 m/s, vmin = - 0.40 m/s
(b) amax = 8.0 m/s2
(c) vx = - 0.35 m/s, ax = - 4 m/s2
(d) E = 0.040
(e) J , U = 0.010 J, K = 0.030 J

The Simple Pendulum

A simple pendulum consists of a mass at the end of a
string swinging with a period T.
If the simple pendulum
is
displaced
from
its
equilibrium position, the
restoring force is

F mg sin
mg
F mg
x
L
mg
kx
x
L

L
T 2
g

Example 4

ANSWER: 10.7 m/s2