Chapter 10

Simple Harmonic
Motion and Elasticity
 Outcomes

• Define and formulate Hooke’s law.

• Define and formulate stress.
• Define and formulate strain.
• Interpret the stress-strain graph.
• Formulate Young’s modulus.
 Hooke’s Law
In mechanics and physics, simple harmonic
motion is a special type of periodic motion where
the restoring force on the moving object is directly
proportional to the object's displacement
magnitude and acts towards the object's
equilibrium position.
FxApplied  k x

spring constant

Units: N/m

Example: The motion of a spring mass

system
 Hooke’s Law
• In this chapter we focus on Hooke’s law,
where the force is proportional to the
displacement, tending to restore objects to
equilibrium position.

F x
Applied
 kx

spring constant

Units: N/m
 Hooke’s Law Force
• The force always acts toward the
equilibrium position
– It is called the restoring force
• The direction of the restoring force is such
that the object is being either pushed or
pulled toward the equilibrium position
 Hooke’s Law
Hooke’s law, law of elasticity discovered by the English scientist Robert
Hooke in 1660, which states that, for relatively small deformations of an object,
the displacement or size of the deformation is directly proportional to the
deforming force or load

• Fs = - k x
– Fs is the spring force
– k is the spring constant
• It is a measure of the stiffness of the spring
– A large k indicates a stiff spring and a small k indicates a soft
spring
– x is the displacement of the object from its equilibrium
position
• x = 0 at the equilibrium position
– The negative sign indicates that the force is always
directed opposite to the displacement
 Hooke’s Law Applied to a
Spring – Mass System
• When x is positive (to
the right), F is negative
(to the left)
• When x = 0 (at
equilibrium), F is 0
• When x is negative (to
the left), F is positive (to
the right)
10.1 The Ideal Spring and Simple Harmonic Motion

Example 1 A Tire Pressure Gauge

When a tire pressure gauge is pressed

against a tire valve, the air in the tire
pushes against a plunger attached to a spring.
If the spring constant of the spring
is 320 N/m and the bar indicator
extends 2.0 cm. What force does the
air in the tire apply to the spring?

FxApplied  k x
 320 N m 0.020 m   6.4 N
10.1 The Ideal Spring and Simple Harmonic Motion

Conceptual Example 2 Are Shorter Springs Stiffer?

A 10-coil spring has a spring constant k. If the spring is

cut in half, so there are two 5-coil springs, what is the spring
constant of each of the smaller springs?
10.1 The Ideal Spring and Simple Harmonic Motion

HOOKE’S LAW: RESTORING FORCE OF AN IDEAL SPRING

The restoring force on an ideal spring is Fx  k x

10.7 Elastic Deformation

We have seen that a spring returns to its original shape when the compressing or
stretching force is removed. Such materials are said to be elastic.

Elastic behavior has its origin in the forces that atoms exert on each other. The figure
symbolizes these forces as springs.

It is because of these atomic-level springs that a material tends to return to its initial
Shape once the forces that cause the deformation are removed.

ATOMS
FORCES
10.7 Elastic Deformation

STRETCHING, COMPRESSION, AND YOUNG’S MODULUS

The interatomic forces that holds the atoms of a solid together are strong,
So a considerable amount of force must be applied to stretch or compress a solid object.

 L 
F  Y   A
 Lo 

Young’s modulus has the units of pressure: N/m2

The value of Y depends on the nature of the material. The value for metals

are much larger than those for bones. The equation indicates that for a given

force, the material with the greater value of Y undergoes the smaller change

In length. The difference between the changes in length is the reason why

Surgical implants which are often made from stainless steel or titanium alloys,
10.7 Elastic Deformation

Example 12 Bone Compression

In a circus act, a performer supports the combined weight (1080 N) of

a number of colleagues. Each thighbone of this performer has a length
of 0.55 m and an effective cross sectional area of 7.7×10-4 m2. Determine
the amount that each thighbone compresses under the extra weight.
10.7 Elastic Deformation

 L 
F  Y   A
 Lo 

L 
FLo

540 N 0.55 m 
 4 .1  10 5
m
YA  
9.4  10 N m 7.7  10 m
9 2 4 2

 Activity
A helicopter is using a steel cable to lift a 2,100.0 kg jeep. The un-stretched length of
the cable is 16 m and its radius is 5.0 × 10−3 m. By what amount does the cable
stretch when the jeep is hoisted upward at a rate of 1.5 m/s?
10.7 Elastic Deformation

SHEAR DEFORMATION AND THE SHEAR MODULUS

 x 
F  S   A
 Lo 

The shear modulus has the units of pressure: N/m2

10.7 Elastic Deformation
10.7 Elastic Deformation

Example 14 J-E-L-L-O

You push tangentially across the top

surface with a force of 0.45 N. The
top surface moves a distance of 6.0 mm
relative to the bottom surface. What is
the shear modulus of Jell-O?

 x 
F  S   A
 Lo 

FLo
S
Ax
10.7 Elastic Deformation

FLo
S
Ax

S
0.45 N 0.030 m 
 460 N m2
0.070 m  6.0 10 m 
2 3
10.7 Elastic Deformation

VOLUME DEFORMATION AND THE BULK MODULUS

 V 
P   B 
 Vo 

The Bulk modulus has the units of pressure: N/m2

10.7 Elastic Deformation
 Stress, Strain and Hooke’s Law
Equation 10.17, 10.18 and 10.20 specify the amount of force needed for a
given amount of elastic deformation.

In general the quantity F/A is called the stress.

The change in the quantity divided by that quantity is called the strain:

V Vo L Lo x Lo
Stretch and compression change in length
HOOKE’S LAW FOR STRESS
AND STRAIN
Volume deformation Change in Volume
Stress is directly proportional to
Shear deformation Change in shape of the strain.
object
Strain is a unitless quantitiy.
Stress = elastic modulus x strain
SI Unit of Stress: N/m2
10.8 Stress, Strain, and Hooke’s Law

In general the quantity F/A is called the stress.

The change in the quantity divided by that quantity is called the

strain:

V Vo L Lo x Lo

HOOKE’S LAW FOR STRESS AND STRAIN

Stress is directly proportional to strain.

Strain is a unitless quantitiy.

SI Unit of Stress: N/m2

10.8 Stress, Strain, and Hooke’s Law

Stress-strain graph
 Example
Bone has a Young’s modulus of about 18 x 109 Pa. Under
compression, it can withstand a stress of about 160 x 106 Pa
before breaking. Assume that a femur (thigh bone) is 0.50 m
long and calculate the amount of compression this bone can
withstand before breaking.
 Activity
1. A sculpture weighing 10 000N rests on a horizontal
surface at the top of a 6.0m tall vertical pillar. The pillar’s
cross-sectional area is 0.20m2 and it is made of granite
with a mass density of 2700kg/m3. Find the compressive
stress at the cross-section located 3.0m below the top of
the pillar and the value of the compressive strain of the
top 3.0m segment of the pillar.

2. When subjected to a force of compression, the length of a

bone decreased by 3.5x10-5 m. When this same bone is
subjected to a tensile force of the same magnitude, by
how much does it stretch?