So far we've learned about the motion of objects during a single "event", like an object being dropped, a ball shot out of a cannon, a box sliding down a ramp, etc. Those objects don't return to where they started, and the motion only happens once.
But how would we describe the motion of a person on a swing, a wave traveling through water, a vibrating guitar string, or the motion of a sound wave?
Simple harmonic motion is when the motion of an object repeats over and over for several cycles or oscillations. This lesson will start with an overview of simple harmonic motion and then dive into the two most common examples: mass-spring systems and pendulums. For each one we'll learn about the frequency, period, amplitude, position, velocity, acceleration and energy of the motion.
Answers
Free-Response Questions
Simple harmonic motion
Lab 1 - Masses and Springs (PhET)
Lab 2 - Pendulum Lab (PhET)
Ferdinand Bautista
Lab - Pendulums
(Pages 47-49, skip "Spring waves")
string, metal washers/weights, meterstick, paper clip, protractor, stopwatch
Holt Physics - Laboratory Experiments
Lab - Simple Harmonic Motion
(Pages 63-66)
string, assorted masses, stopwatch, meterstick, protractor, support rod
Openstax - College Physics for AP Courses Lab Manual - Student Version
- Simple Harmonic Motion Overview
- Mass-Spring Systems
- Pendulums
So far we've learned about the motion of objects during a single "event", like an object being dropped, a ball shot out of a cannon, a box sliding down a ramp, etc. Those objects don't return to where they started, and the motion only happens once.
But how would we describe the motion of a person on a swing, a wave traveling through water, a vibrating guitar string, or the motion of a sound wave?
Simple harmonic motion is when the motion of an object repeats over and over for several cycles or oscillations. This lesson will start with an overview of simple harmonic motion and then dive into the two most common examples: mass-spring systems and pendulums. For each one we'll learn about the frequency, period, amplitude, position, velocity, acceleration and energy of the motion.
