DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY

SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

18PYB201T - Waves and Optics

Module-I, Lecture-2

SHM in an Electrical system and

Mechanical System

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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 SHM in an Electrical system
LC Circuit as Simple Harmonic Oscillator:
The LC circuit having a combination of a pure inductor, which has
zero resistance and a pure capacitor, which has infinite resistance, is
an example of an electromagnetic system exhibiting SHM.

Fig 1. An Electrical circuit consisting of a capacitor C and an inductor L

executing SHM.

In an ideal system, the energy stored in the magnetic field and the
energy stored in the electric field exhibits SHM.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 Simple Harmonic Motion
We shall now study harmonic oscillations of an electrical circuit
consisting of a pure capacitor C and a pure inductor L (Fig. 1).

The equilibrium state of the system is when the capacitor C is

uncharged and no current is flowing in the circuit.

This state is disturbed when the capacitor is charged by pressing the

key.
Let q be the charge on the capacitor at some instant. Then, the voltage
across the capacitor plates is given by
𝑞
𝑉= (1)
𝐶
where, C is the capacitance. When the key is released, the capacitor
starts discharging through the inductor and a current begins to flow
through the inductor. 3
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 Simple Harmonic Motion
The current through the inductor is given by
𝑑𝑞
𝑖= (2)
𝑑𝑡
In this circuit, the restoring force is due to the force of repulsion
between the electrons. This force tends to distribute electrons equally
on the capacitor plates so that there is no net charge.

Inductance, on the other hand, tends to oppose this redistribution, i.e.

it opposes the increase in current. At any instant, the voltage across
the inductor is given by
𝑑𝑖 𝑑2 𝑞
𝑉 = −𝐿 = −𝐿 2 (3)
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡

The minus sign is indicative of the fact that the voltage developed
across the inductor opposes the increase of current. 4
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 Simple Harmonic Motion
From Kirchhoff’s law, the voltage across the inductor should be equal
to the voltage across the capacitor plates, i.e.
𝑑2 𝑞 𝑞
−𝐿 2 = (4)
𝑑𝑡 𝐶
or
𝑑2 𝑞 2𝑞
2
= −𝜔 (5)
𝑑𝑡

where, the angular frequency ω =1/(LC)1/2.

Thus, the time period in an electrical circuit consisting of a pure

inductor L and a pure capacitor C is given by
2𝜋
𝑇= = 2𝜋 𝐿𝐶 (6)
𝜔
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 Simple Harmonic Motion
At any instant, the charge q is given by a sine or a cosine function. If
the charge q is taken as
𝑞 = 𝑞0 cos(𝜔𝑡 + 𝛿) (6)
where q0 is the maximum value of the charge, the current in the
circuit will therefore be given by
𝑑𝑞
i= = −𝜔𝑞0 sin 𝜔𝑡 + 𝛿 (7)
𝑑𝑡

A comparison of the LC circuit with the mechanical oscillatory

systems indicates that mass in mechanical systems and magnetic field
inertia in electrical systems play analogous role. The mass controls
the velocity change for a given force and the magnetic field controls
the rate of change of current for a given voltage.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 SHM in an Mechanical system
Simple Pendulum:

Simple pendulum is an oscillator, in which a bob of mass m is

suspended from the fixed support P through a string of length l.
Left to itself, the bob hangs along the line PO, and this alignment of
the simple pendulum is called its mean or equilibrium position with
the angle θ.
If the bob is drawn towards one extreme A from this mean position,
such that the angle θ remains small, and then released, it oscillates in
a circular arc with the center at the point of suspension P.

Let us now examine whether or not the motion of the bob is simple
harmonic and determine its oscillation time period.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 SHM in an Mechanical system
When the bob is at point A, the forces acting on it are
1. The tension in the string (T)
2. The weight of the bob (mg)
3. The centrifugal force because of the speed of the bob as it moves along
the circular arc. However, at the end points such as A and B, its
contribution is zero as the velocity at these points is zero.

Fig 2. An Simple Pending executing SHM.

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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 SHM in an Mechanical system
However, at the end points such as A and B, its contribution is zero as
the velocity at these points is zero.
The weight (mg) of the bob is resolved into a radial component
mgcosθ and a tangential component mgsinθ.
The tangential component, which is the component along the tangent
to the path traced by the bob, provides the restoring force, because it
always acts opposite to the displacement of the bob so as to bring it
back toward the mean or equilibrium position (θ=0).
Therefore, for the simple pendulum, the restoring force is written as
𝐹 = −𝑚𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 (8)
Here, as usual, the negative sign indicates that the restoring force acts
opposite to the displacement.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 SHM in an Mechanical system
The radial forces balance each other, such that
𝑚𝑣 2
𝑇 = 𝑚𝑔𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 + (9)
𝑙
Therefore, there is no motion in the radial direction. Now, as we
mentioned before, the angle θ to be small.
Thus, if is small θ, equation (8) can be written as
𝐹 = −𝑚𝑔𝜃 (10)
Eqn. (10) is the equation of motion of the simple pendulum executing
SHM
Simple Pendulum as a Linear Simple Harmonic Oscillator:
The simple pendulum can be treated as a linear simple harmonic
oscillator.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 SHM in an Mechanical system
It is so because, for small angular displacement, the path traced by
the bob is approximately a straight line and is equal to the length of
the arc.
That is, the path traced by the bob in moving from the mean
position to point A can be written as
𝑥 = 𝑙𝜃 (11)
Sub Eqn. 11 in Eqn. 10
𝑚𝑔
𝐹 = −( )𝑥 (12)
𝑙
Comparing the above expression with the equation of motion for a
spring-mass system, F=-kx, we get
𝑚𝑔
𝑘= (13)
𝑙
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2
 SHM in an Mechanical system

And, therefore, the time period of the simple pendulum is given by

𝑚 𝑙
𝑇 = 2𝜋 = 2𝜋 (14)
𝑘 𝑔

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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-2