Simple harmonic motion is the foundation of oscillations and waves. It's the back-and-forth movement you see in swinging pendulums or vibrating guitar strings, where the restoring force is proportional to displacement.

Understanding SHM is key to grasping more complex wave phenomena. It introduces crucial concepts like amplitude, frequency, and period, which apply to all types of waves, from sound to light to water ripples.

Simple Harmonic Motion

Definition and Key Characteristics

• Simple harmonic motion (SHM) describes periodic motion with restoring force proportional to displacement from equilibrium and acting in opposite direction
• Follows sinusoidal pattern described by sine or cosine functions
• Acceleration always directed towards equilibrium position and proportional to displacement
• Total energy remains constant in ideal simple harmonic oscillator, continuously exchanging between kinetic and potential energy
• Exhibits isochronism for small oscillations (period independent of amplitude)
• Velocity maximum at equilibrium position and zero at motion extremes
• Examples include vibrating guitar string and swinging pendulum clock

Energy and Force Considerations

• Restoring force acts opposite to displacement, bringing system back to equilibrium
• Force magnitude increases with distance from equilibrium
• Potential energy stored at maximum displacement converts to kinetic energy at equilibrium
• Energy conservation principle applies (frictionless systems)
• Non-conservative forces (friction) cause amplitude decrease over time (damped oscillations)

Mass-Spring Systems and Pendulums

Mass-Spring Systems

• Restoring force provided by spring following Hooke's Law: $F = -kx$ (k is spring constant, x is displacement)
• Equation of motion derived from Newton's Second Law and Hooke's Law: $m(d²x/dt²) = -kx$
• Period given by $T = 2π\sqrt{(m/k)}$ (m is mass, k is spring constant)
• Applications include vehicle suspension systems and seismographs

Simple Pendulums

• Restoring force is gravity component tangent to motion arc, approximated as $F = -mg(θ)$ for small angles
• Period approximated by $T = 2π\sqrt{(L/g)}$ for small angles (L is pendulum length, g is gravitational acceleration)
• Used in grandfather clocks and as building sway dampers

Similarities and Limitations

• Both exhibit SHM only for small amplitudes
• Larger amplitudes introduce nonlinear effects
• Phase space representation (position vs. velocity plot) forms ellipse, indicating energy conservation
• Real-world systems experience damping due to friction and air resistance

Amplitude, Period, and Frequency

Fundamental Parameters

• Amplitude (A) measures maximum displacement from equilibrium position
• Period (T) represents time for one complete oscillation
• Frequency (f) counts complete oscillations per unit time, related to period by $f = 1/T$
• Angular frequency (ω) relates to frequency by $ω = 2πf$ and to period by $ω = 2π/T$
• Examples: playground swing (amplitude: maximum height, period: time for full back-and-forth motion)

Mathematical Representations

• Displacement expressed as $x(t) = A \cos(ωt + φ)$ (φ is phase constant)
• Velocity given by $v(t) = -Aω \sin(ωt + φ)$, maximum at equilibrium position
• Acceleration expressed as $a(t) = -Aω² \cos(ωt + φ)$, maximum magnitude at motion extremes
• Phase relationships crucial for understanding SHM behavior

Equations of Motion for Oscillators

General Solutions and Derivatives

• General displacement solution: $x(t) = A \cos(ωt + φ)$ (A and φ determined by initial conditions)
• Velocity found by differentiating displacement: $v(t) = dx/dt = -Aω \sin(ωt + φ)$
• Acceleration obtained by differentiating velocity: $a(t) = dv/dt = -Aω² \cos(ωt + φ) = -ω²x(t)$
• Examples: oscillating mass on spring, vibrating tuning fork

Energy and System-Specific Equations

• Total energy of simple harmonic oscillator: $E = ½kA² = ½mv²max$, where $vmax = Aω$
• Spring constant determination for mass-spring systems: $k = 4π²m/T²$
• Small-angle approximation for pendulums: $\sin(θ) ≈ θ$ simplifies calculations
• Energy conservation principle applies to ideal oscillators

Problem-Solving Techniques

• Identify initial conditions to determine amplitude and phase constant
• Use phase relationships between displacement, velocity, and acceleration
• Velocity leads displacement by π/2 radians, acceleration leads velocity by another π/2 radians
• Apply energy conservation principles to solve for unknown parameters
• Consider damping effects in real-world scenarios (exponential decay of amplitude)