Oscillations

(University Physics, Vol. 1, openstax)

Juan Sotelo
Félix Dı́az

UPCH

C0092
May 17, 2022

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Outline

I Simple Harmonic Oscillator (SHO)

I Energy in SHO
I Pendulums
I Forced Oscillations
I Damped Oscillations

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Simple Harmonic Oscillator
Oscillatory Motion
Motion that is periodic in time (e.g., child swinging on a swing, guitar
strings).

The period T measures the time for one oscillation.

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Simple Harmonic Oscillator
Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)
The net force on the system is proportional to the displacement and acts
in the opposite direction of the displacement.
Sinusoidal oscillatory motion about the equilibrium point of the system.
x(t) = xm cos(ωt)

I xm is the maximum displacement

2π
I ω is the angular frequency: ω = 2πf = .
T
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Simple Harmonic Oscillator

Two oscillators can have different frequencies, or different phases:

x(t) = xm cos(ωt + φ)

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Simple Harmonic Oscillator

Sinusoidal Oscillation
The position of an oscillating object is described by these definitions:

x(t) = xm cos(ωt + φ)
1
T =
f
ω = 2πf

I x in meters
I T in seconds
I f in Hertz (1/s)
I ω in rad/s

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Simple Harmonic Oscillator
Since the position of an oscillating object is known, its velocity and
acceleration are also known:

x(t) = xm cos(ωt + φ)
Max position: xm

dx
v (t) = = −ωxm sin(ωt + φ)
dt
Max velocity: ωxm

dv
a(t) = = −ω 2 xm cos(ωt + φ)
dt
Max acceleration: ω 2 xm

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Simple Harmonic Oscillator (SHO)

A SHO is a system that oscillates with SHM.

When displaced from its equilibrium position, it experiences a restoring
force F proportional to the displacement x:
d2 x
F = −kx = ma = m
dt 2
d2 x k
2
+ x =0
dt m

The solution to this homogeneous, linear, second order

r ODE is:
k
x(t) = xm cos(ωt + φ), ω=
m
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Simple Harmonic Oscillator

The motion of a SHO is related to motion in a circle.

x(t) = xm cos(ωt + φ)
v (t) = −ωxm sin(ωt + φ)
a(t) = −ω 2 xm cos(ωt + φ)

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Energy in SHO

A spring stores potential energy. To find it, compute the work the spring
force does:

Z x2
1 1
∆U = −W = − (−kx) dx = kx22 − kx12
x1 2 2

Mass and spring system

A spring stretched (compressed) by x stores energy U = 12 kx 2 .

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Energy in SHO
As a mass oscillates, the energy transfers from kinetic energy of the mass
to elastic potential energy stored in the spring.

Mass attached to a spring on a frictionless surface, oscillating in SHM

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Energy in SHO

The energy oscillates between:

1 1 2
U = kx 2 = kxm cos2 (ωt + φ)
2 2
1 1 1 2 2
K = mv 2 = mω 2 xm2
sin2 (ωt + φ) = kxm sin (ωt + φ)
2 2 2
1 2
E = U + K = Umax = kxm
2
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Pendulums
Simple Pendulum
A (point) ball on a (massless) string. It acts like a SHO for small angles.
For small oscillations (θ < 20◦ ),
d2 θ
τ = −L(mg )θ = I
dt 2
d2 θ mgL
+ θ=0
dt 2 I
Solution to the ODE:

θ(t) = θm cos(ωt + φ)
r r
mgL g
The restoring force: ω= =
I L
F = −mg sin θ ≈ −mg θ
s
1 2π L
T = = = 2π
I = mL2 f ω g
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Pendulums
Physical Pendulum
Any object that oscillates as a pendulum, but cannot be modeled as a
point mass on a string.

For small oscillations,

d2 θ
τ = −L(mg )θ = I
dt 2
d2 θ mgL
+ θ=0
dt 2 I r
mgL
ω=
I
s
1 2π I
T = = = 2π
f ω mgL

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Pendulums
Torsion Pendulum
Symmetric object where the restoring force arises from a twisted wire.

For small oscillations,

d2 θ
τ = −κθ = I
dt 2
d2 θ κ
+ θ=0
dt 2 I r
κ
ω=
I
r
1 2π I
T = = = 2π
f ω κ

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Forced Oscillations

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Damped Oscillations

Damped simple harmonic motion is the result of oscillatory behavior in the

presence of a retarding force.

Fd = −bv

with b the damping constant.

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Damped Oscillations

Applying Newton’s Second Law yields

Fnet = ma
−kx − bv = ma
d2 x b dx k
0= 2
+ + x
dt m dt m

Solution to this ODE:

Depending on the amount of damping, the system can:
I Oscillate with a frequency lower than in the undamped case, and an
amplitude decreasing with time.
• Underdamped oscillator
I Decay to the equilibrium position, without oscillations.
• Critically damped oscillator
• Overdamped oscillator

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Damped Oscillations

Displacement of a harmonic oscillator for different amounts of damping

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Damped Oscillations
r
k b
I Underdamped System: ω = >
m 2m
 
b
t cos ω 0 t + φ


x(t) = xm exp −
2m
r
b2
ω0 = ω2 −
4m2
The oscillations will die out over time.

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Damped Oscillations
r
k b
I Critically Damped System: ω = =
m 2m
 
b
x(t) = a exp − t
2m
r
k b
I Overdamped System: ω = <
m 2m
 s ! 
2
b b
x(t) = a exp− − − ω2 t 
2m 2m
 s ! 
2
b b
+ c exp− + − ω2 t 
2m 2m

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Damped Oscillations

When an oscillator of (natural) angular frequency ω is driven by an

external force at a frequency wd , the response will also be at wd .

d2 x F0
2
+ ω2x = cos(ωd t) Solution: x(t) = A cos(ωd t + φ)
dt m

The amplitude A depends on the relationship between ωd and ω.

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Damped Oscillations
For a driven underdamped oscillator, the differential equation and
corresponding solution are:

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Damped Oscillations

If an underdamped oscillator is driven at its natural frequency, the system

is on resonance and the oscillations are maximum.

The width of the resonance peak depends on the damping constant.

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Acknowledgments
I Prof. David Starling, Penn State, Hazleton, PHYS 211, Chapter 15:
Oscillations.
https://www.personal.psu.edu/djs75/courses.htm#211
I This presentation is based on and includes content derived from the
following OER resource: University Physics Volume 1
https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1

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