DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY

SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

18PYB201T - Waves and Optics

Module-I, Lecture-3

Superposition of two Simple

Harmonic Vibrations

1
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
In many practical applications, a mechanical oscillator exhibits two or
more harmonic oscillations; e.g. our ear drums receive a complex
combination of harmonic oscillations.
When two or more harmonic oscillations act on a body
simultaneously, the resultant motion of the body can be analyzed on
the basis of the principle of superposition
Superimposition:
The resultant of two or more harmonic displacements is simply the
vector sum of the individual displacements.

2
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
Superposition of Two Simple Harmonic Vibrations in One
Dimension:
1. Vibrations Having Equal Frequencies:
Suppose we have two SHMs of equal frequencies but having different
amplitudes and phase constants acting on a system in the x-direction.
The displacements x1 and x2 of the two harmonic motions, of the same
angular frequency ω, differing by phase δ are given by
𝑥1 = 𝐴1 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜔𝑡 (1)
𝑥2 = 𝐴2 sin(𝜔𝑡 + 𝛿) (2)
Superposition principle which states that the resultant displacement is
equal to the vector sum (algebraic sum in this case, because the
direction of the two individual oscillation is in the x-direction) of the
individual displacements. 3
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
𝑥 = 𝑥1 + 𝑥2 (4)
𝑥 = 𝐴1 sin 𝜔𝑡 + 𝐴2 sin 𝜔𝑡 + 𝛿 5
𝑥 = 𝐴1 sin 𝜔𝑡 + 𝐴2 sin 𝜔𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛿 + 𝐴2 cos 𝜔𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛿 (6)
𝑥 = (𝐴1 +𝐴2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛿) sin ω𝑡 + 𝐴2 cos 𝜔𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛿 (7)
𝑥 = 𝐶 sin ω𝑡 + 𝐷 cos 𝜔𝑡 8
where C = A1+A2cos δ and D = A2sin δ
C sin ω𝑡 D 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ω𝑡
𝑥= 𝐶2 + 𝐷2 + (9)
𝐶2 + 𝐷2 𝐶2 + 𝐷2
𝐶 𝐷
Now we know that the magnitude of and is less than 1.
𝐶 2 +𝐷 2 𝐶 2 +𝐷 2
Thus, for an angle between 0 to 2π,
𝐷 𝐶
sin𝜀 = 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜀 = (10)
𝐶 2 + 𝐷2 𝐶 2 + 𝐷2
4
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
Therefore, we get

𝑥 = 𝐶 2 + 𝐷2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜀 sin ω𝑡 + sin𝜀 cos 𝜔𝑡 11

𝑥 = 𝐴 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑡 + 𝜀 12
where
𝐴 = 𝐶 2 + 𝐷2 13
𝐴 = (𝐴1 + 𝐴2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛿)2 +(𝐴2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛿)2 14
𝐴= 𝐴1 2 + 2𝐴1 𝐴2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛿 + 𝐴2 2 15
Also
𝐷 𝐴2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛿
tan𝜀 = = (16)
𝐶 𝐴1 + 𝐴2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛿
Eqn. 12 shows that the resultant of two simple harmonic motions
having the same frequency is itself a simple harmonic motion. 5
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
The amplitude and phase of the resultant SHM depends on the
amplitudes of the two individual SHMs as well as the phase difference
between them.
2. Vibrations Having Unequal Frequencies:
Suppose that we have two collinear harmonic oscillations of different
frequencies and amplitudes.
For simplicity, we assume that the two oscillations have the same phase
constant which we take as zero.
The two SHMs with displacements x1 and x2 and angular frequencies
ω1 and ω2 (< ω1) respectively can be written as,
𝑥1 = 𝐴1 sin 𝜔1𝑡 17
𝑥2 = 𝐴2 sin 𝜔2𝑡 18
6
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
From the superposition principle, the resultant of these two oscillation
is given by
𝑥 = 𝑥1 + 𝑥2 19
𝑥 = 𝐴1 sin 𝜔1𝑡 + 𝐴2 sin 𝜔2𝑡 20
Now, to simplify the above equation, we define two terms: average
frequency ωa, and modulation frequency ωm,
𝜔1 + 𝜔2 𝜔2 − 𝜔1
𝜔𝑎 = 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜔𝑚 = 21
2 2
Then
𝜔1 = 𝜔𝑎 − 𝜔𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜔2 = 𝜔𝑎 + 𝜔𝑚 23
Sub in Eqn. 20
𝑥 = 𝐴1 sin(𝜔𝑎 − 𝜔𝑚 )𝑡 + 𝐴2 sin 𝜔𝑎 + 𝜔𝑚 𝑡 24
7
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
On Simplification
𝑥 = 𝐴1 sin(𝜔𝑎 − 𝜔𝑚 )𝑡 + 𝐴2 sin 𝜔𝑎 + 𝜔𝑚 𝑡 25
𝑥 = (𝐴1 +𝐴2 ) sin 𝜔𝑎 𝑡 cos 𝜔𝑚 𝑡 − (𝐴1 −𝐴2 ) cos 𝜔𝑎 𝑡 sin 𝜔𝑚 𝑡 26
Now, let us define an amplitude A(t), a phase constant ε(t) are both
functions of time, such that
𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜀 = (𝐴1 +𝐴2 ) cos 𝜔𝑚 𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜀 = −(𝐴1 − 𝐴2 ) sin 𝜔𝑚 𝑡 27
Sub Eqn. 27 in Eqn. 26
𝑥 = 𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜀 sin 𝜔𝑎 𝑡 + 𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜀 cos 𝜔𝑎 𝑡 28
𝑥 = 𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑎 𝑡 + 𝜀 29
Thus, we find that the amplitude A, and the phase constant ε, is
actually the resultant amplitude and the resultant phase constant.
8
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
Although the above equation resembles the equation for SHM, it will
be wrong to conclude that the resultant motion is SHM.

It is so because the amplitude A, and the phase constant ε, are not

constant as such; rather, they are dependent on time.

This oscillation can, at best, be described as periodic with an angular

frequency ωa, the average of the two component frequencies.

The resultant amplitude can be calculated squaring Eqn. 27 adding the

terms together

𝐴(𝑡) = 𝐴1 2 + 2𝐴1 𝐴2 cos(2𝜔𝑚 𝑡) + 𝐴2 2 30

9
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3
 Simple Harmonic Motion
And the resultant phase constant can be calculated by dividing the
terms in equation Eqn. 27

−(𝐴1 − 𝐴2 ) sin 𝜔𝑚 𝑡
tan𝜀 = (31)
(𝐴1 +𝐴2 ) cos 𝜔𝑚 𝑡

10
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-3