FC312E
PHYSICS
Simple Harmonic Motion
Module Learning Outcome
Use SHM formulae to understand
oscillating objects e.g. pendulum, spring
Apply in real-world contexts
Academic Literacy
Use theoretical concepts to analyse real-world
practices. 
Develop ability to read, comprehend and
express mathematical arguments
Use subject-specific vocabulary effectively.
SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION
 Outline (Hour 1)
• Simple harmonic motion – frequency, time period, mathematical
representation

• Pendulum

• Mass on a spring
Spring and Pendulum
 Periodic Motion
• A motion that repeats itself over time is called periodic
motion.
• The time taken for one complete cycle of periodic motion is
called the period, T.
• The frequency of periodic motion is the number of complete
cycles of periodic motions per second.
• Frequency (f ) can be calculate by the formula:

1
f 
T
 Periodic Motion
• There are many examples of periodic motions, or oscillations, in
the world around us:
– boats bobbing up and down on the sea;
– a child on a swing; or
– the vibration of a loudspeaker cone.
• Accordingly, oscillations are an important part of physics.
• One particular type of oscillation is of particular importance,
because we can easily model it using mathematics:
– when the period is constant...
 Describing Oscillations
• When the period for each complete cycle of oscillation is
constant, the oscillation is called simple harmonic.

• In simple harmonic motion a body takes the same time for

each complete oscillation.

• One example of SHM is a

pendulum bob oscillation.

• If the angle of swing is small

then its motion is approximately A B
simple harmonic.

amplitude
 Describing Oscillations
• The period, T, of the oscillation is the time taken for one
complete oscillation.
– i.e. the time taken to travel from A to B and back again to A.

• The amplitude, A, is the maximum displacement from the

centre of the oscillation.
– As the angle has to be small for SHM, then the amplitude must also
be small.

• Frequency, f, is the number of oscillations per second

(which is constant) and is given by:
– f=1/T with the units of Hertz, Hz
 Sine and Cosine waves
This spray paint oscillation experiment
(click on image) shows how simple harmonic
oscillators create sine/cosine waves.

• Let’s draw the displacement as a

function of time as a cosine wave
which we can draw just as we drew
general waves in week 1:

• It is typical to write the equation of

this simple harmonic oscillation wave
as:
 
𝒙 ( 𝒕 )= 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔( 𝝎 𝒕 )
 Position, Velocity and Acceleration
for SHM

𝑥 ( 𝑡 )= 𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠( 𝜔 𝑡 )
 
 
(Note that these
equations of and
can be obtained by
differentiating ,  v
which you will see
later on in FC017)

 a

 Defining equation for SHM is:

 Other Forms of SHM equations
• We
  saw that the position in SHM is given
by and using standard equations you
have seen already in this course this can
be rewritten:
  𝟐𝝅
𝒙 ( 𝒕 )= 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔 ( 𝝎 𝒕 ) = 𝑨 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟐 𝝅 𝒇 𝒕 = 𝑨 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝒕
𝑻

• So we have just used that .

• It depends on the question which form is most useful.
 Amplitudes of v(t) and a(t)
• Notice from the graphs on the previous
slide the amplitudes of the velocity and
acceleration.
• The amplitude of v and a will give you the
maximum velocity and maximum
acceleration.
𝒗 𝒎𝒂𝒙 = 𝐀 𝝎
  𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒙= 𝐀 𝝎
  𝟐

• Where A was the amplitude of the position x(t)

for SHM.
 The key equation for SHM:

•   equation tells us quite a lot about SHM and is often

This
used as the defining equation of SHM. The two key things it
tells us about acceleration in SHM are:

1 This minus sign tells you that the acceleration in SHM is always in the
opposite direction to the displacement

2 Acceleration is always
proportional to
displacement
 The Pendulum
• The first key example of SHM is the pendulum.
• A pendulum of mass, m, with arm length L, swinging
through a small angle, θ has a restoring force that acts
towards the equilibrium position and causes the simple
harmonic motion.
 The Pendulum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVkdfJ9PkRQ
 The Pendulum
 Therestoring force is seen in this
diagram as: .

However, we can use something

called the ‘small angle
approximation’: and the arc length
equation to get the restoring force:

 mg 𝑔 𝑔
F s  
𝑎=− 𝑠  
𝜔 =
2

L 𝐿 𝐿
 
Using  
Using earlier result for
 
2𝜋 𝐿
√
acceleration
𝑇= =2 𝜋
𝜔 𝑔
 Pendulum Example
• A pendulum is constructed from a string 0.627 m long attached to a
mass of 0.025 kg. When set in motion, the pendulum completes one
oscillation every 1.59 s. If the pendulum is held at rest and the string is
cut, how long will it take for the mass to fall through a distance of 1 m?

17
 Pendulum Example
• A pendulum is constructed from a string 0.627 m long attached to a
mass of 0.025 kg. When set in motion, the pendulum completes one
oscillation every 1.59 s. If the pendulum is held at rest and the string is
cut, how long will it take for the mass to fall through a distance of 1 m?

• Solution: find g using

L
T  2
g
then use formula from kinetics:
1 2
x  at t = 0.452 s
2
18
 Mass on a Spring
• A mass oscillating on a spring is
another example of SHM.

• The restoring force F = k

where x is the vertical displacement of the spring from equilibrium.

This is Hooke’s Law, and holds provided extension is

within the elastic limit of the spring.

• Typically, x is a harmonic function: x(t) = Acos(ωt)

• This will balance with Newton’s 2nd Law: F = ma
 Mass on a Spring
• The displacement of the mass from the equilibrium position is a
harmonic function that depends on time: x(t )  A cos(t )

• So: xmax = A

• You may recall that velocity is the first derivative of displacement with
respect to time, so: dx
v(t )    A sin(t )
dt
• So: vmax = Aω

• And acceleration is the second derivative of displacement with

respect to time, so: d 2x
a (t )  2
2
  A cos(t )
dt
• So: amax = Aω2
20
 Mass on a Spring
• Applying Newton's 2nd law to the springs restoring force we get:
-kx = ma
• As a result of the harmonic function we obtain:

 mA 2 cos(t )  kA cos(t )

• Cancelling cos(ωt) we get the equation for SHM for a mass on a spring:
k
 
2

m
• On noting that: 2π

T
• we get a similar equation to the pendulum case for the period of
oscillation:
m
T  2
k
Energy in SHM
 Energy in SHM
• By observing the motion of a simple pendulum we can deduce
that:
– The bob has its maximum gravitational potential energy (GPE)
at maximum displacement.
• At this point the velocity is zero for an instant. Thus the
kinetic energy (KE) is zero.

– The bob has its maximum

velocity as it passes through
the centre of oscillation.
• Thus its KE is maximum GPEmax GPEmax
and its GPE is a minimum. KEmax
 Energy in SHM
• In any oscillation there is a constant interchange between kinetic
and potential energy.
• The total energy remains constant provided no energy is lost from
the system.
• The graph shows how KE and GPE vary during one oscillation.

 
 Energy in SHM

The total energy is constant provided there is no damping.

 Speed in SHM equation from
Energy Conservation
• we
If   compare two points of an oscillating spring’s motion.
First we note that the formula for potential energy in a spring
depends on displace x through equation:

So thinking about the maximum displacement point A where

the total energy ET=EP we get:
 Speed in SHM equation from
Energy Conservation
•• So
  if that is the total energy we can equate this to the
sum of the kinetic and potential energies at some
displacement x:

• Rearranging this equation for the velocity v at some

displacement x we get the important equation:

 (Recall that:

for a spring)

(This equation now also applies for a pendulum)

 Example
• Question: A 0.33kg pendulum bob is attached to a string 1.2m
long. What is the:
a) Change in gravitational potential energy of the system as
the bob swings from point A to point B in figure below:

Hint:
  you will need to use
some basic trigonometry to
find the distance

b) Use this to find the velocity of the pendulum bob as it moves

through point B
 Solution
•a)   To get the change in gravitational potential energy we
need to find the change in height using trigonometry.

If you look at the pendulum picture  ∆ 𝑦 = 𝐿− 𝐿𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃=𝐿(1 −𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜃)

the trigonometry tells you:

Then
  we apply the usual potential  
energy equation = (0.33 kg)(9.81 m s-1)(1.2 m)(1 - cos35°)

b) Then we use energy conservation to equate the

potential energy (magnitude) at A to the kinetic
energy at B:
  2× 0.7
1
  𝑚 𝑣 2=0.70 𝐽
2
𝑣=
√
0.33
=2.06  m 𝑠−1
 Energy Assumptions
• Typically, a physicist will state that energy is always conserved in
a ‘closed system’.
– A ‘closed system’ means that no energy can be lost to the
surroundings.

• Alternatively, a physicist may state that energy is lost to the

surroundings (but total energy is always conserved).
– In this case, we say that the system is losing energy, but the
surroundings are gaining energy.

• This process is often called damping.

 Energy in SHM
• A ‘real’ pendulum bob, or other oscillating system will lose
energy to its surroundings.
• This is called damping.
• Sources of this energy loss, or damping, include:
– Air resistance (or more generally, resistance to motion due to the medium
in which the body is oscillating); or
– Friction at the point of oscillation (e.g. the arm of a pendulum);

• Damping results in the amplitude of the oscillations dying away

over a period of time.
 Damping
• As a real pendulum or spring oscillates it will
inevitably lose energy and the amplitude will
decrease.
• We any oscillating motion that loses enery
damped.
• There are three types of damping you should
know:
– Light damping
– Strong damping
– Critical damping
 Damping
• Light damping occurs when the time period of the oscillation is
unchanged as damping takes place.
• Critical Damping is when the damping is just right to make the
oscillation return to equilibrium as fast as possible without any
further oscillations taking place, e.g. car suspension

• Strong damping is when

the damping stops all
oscillation and makes the
system return to
equilibrium very slowly.

Lightly damped
 Forced Oscillations
• If something is oscillating without there being any external
forces acting on the system then it is called a free oscillation.
• Free oscillators always oscillate at a special frequency called
the natural frequency.
• What happens however if we try to create an oscillation by
applying a periodic force to an oscillating system?

‣ For example consider a

spring-mass system
acting under an applied
vibration:
 Forced Oscillations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFzu6CNtqec
 Resonance
• We find from forced oscillation experiments that the
amplitude of the forced oscillation increases and becomes
enormous when the applied frequency of vibration gets
close to the natural frequency of the oscillator.
• This maximum amplitude applied frequency is also called
the resonant frequency.

 Sothe key result is that we

observe a resonance when:
 Resonance
Resonance is a fascinating phenomenon we encounter all around us
and it can have profound effects. For example:
– Bridges can collapse (click on image to see video)
– Glasses can shatter when sound hits their natural frequency
(click on image to see video)
– Car components rattling at certain velocities
– Acoustic resonances in music
– In lasers: creation of coherent light by optical resonance in a
laser cavity
 Resonance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFsgu3ClqHo