Oscillatory Motion

15.1 Motion of an object attached to a

spring
15.2 The particle in simple harmonic
motion
15.3 Energy of the simple harmonic
oscillator
15.4 Comparing simple harmonic
motion with circular motion
15.5 The pendulum

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 Motion of an object attached to a
spring
Assume we place a mass m
on a frictionless table. We
attach the mass to a fixed
point with a spring
When the spring is stretched
or compressed, it experiences
a force proportional and in the
opposite direction to the
displacement from a rest
position

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 i.e. Fs  kx
where k is the spring constant
k
As F = ma: Fs  kx  ma  a   x
m
Condition for simple harmonic motion (SHM)
An object moves with SHM if its acceleration is
proportional to its displacement from some
equilibrium position and is oppositely directed
i.e.
a  x
Any object satisfying these conditions undergoes
simple harmonic motion

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 For the case of a mass attached to a spring on a
table
F  ma, F  kx
F k d 2x k
a    x  2   x
m m dt m
k
Putting   2
we get
m
d 2x
a  2   2 x
dt
This is the standard equation for simple
harmonic motion

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 The solution to this equation is x  A cos(t   )
Proof:
dx
Differentiating:  A sin(t   )
dt

d 2x
2
  2
A cos(t   )   2
x
dt

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 The particle in simple harmonic
motion
We have shown that the possible mathematical
solutions to any differential equation of the form
d 2x
2
 (constant)  x
dt
will have to be a sinusoidal function, for example

x  A cos(t   )
where A,  and  are constants

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 A  amplitude
  angular frequency (rad/s)
  phase constant
(t + )  phase of motion
x  periodic function
The period T of motion equals the time it
takes for particle to go through one full cycle
(Units: seconds)

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

  x(t )  x(t  T )
 A cos(t   )  A cos[(t  T )   ]
t    2  (t  T )    T
2

The frequency f equals the number of oscillations
per second, and is measured in Hertz (Hz)
1 
 f  
T 2

   2f

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 Velocity and acceleration

Starting from x  A cos(t   )

dx
we find that v  A sin(t   )
dt
dv
a   2 A cos(t   )
dt
Thus a   x 2

Furthermore, as sine and cosine v max  A

curves range between –1 and 1,
a max   2 A

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 Example 15.1 – A block-spring system

A 200 g block connected to a spring with k = 5 N/m is

free to oscillate on a horizontal, frictionless surface.
The block is displaced 5 cm from equilibrium and
released at t = 0.
a) Calculate the period of motion
k 5 N/m 22
   5 rad/s T  = 1.26 s
m 0.2 kg  5
b) Determine the maximum speed of the block
vmax  A  5 rad/s 0.05 m = 0.25 m/s

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 c) Determine the maximum acceleration of the block

amax   A  5 rad/s  0.05 m = 1.25 m/s2

2 2

d) Express the position, velocity and acceleration as

functions of time
Since x = A at t = 0, x  A cost   
 5  5 cos5  0     cos   1    0
 x  A cost     0.05 mcos5t 
v  A sint     0.25 m/ssin5t 
a   A cos t     1.25 m/s cos5t 
2
   2

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 Energy of a simple harmonic
oscillator
1 2 1
 Kinetic Energy: K  mv  m 2 2
A sin 2
(t   )
2 2
1 2 1 2
 Elastic Potential Energy: U  kx  kA cos 2 (t   )
2 2

 Potential and kinetic energies are always positive

k
 Mechanical energy:    m  k
2 2

m
 
E  K  U  12 kA2 sin 2 (t   )  cos 2 (t   )  12 kA2

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

  Mechanical energy is a constant of motion, and is
independent of x or t

At x =  A: v = 0  E = maximum elastic energy

1 2
 kA
2
At x = 0: E = maximum kinetic energy
1
 mvmax2
2
1 2 k
 kA  vmax  A
2 m

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 1 2 1 2
At any x: E  K  U  mv  kx
2 2
1 2
 kA
2
k 2
v   ( A  x2 )
m
  A2  x 2

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 Oscillation cycle t x v a K U

0 A 0 -ω2A 0 ½kA2

T/4 0 -ωA 0 ½kA2 0

T/2 -A 0 ω2 A 0 ½kA2

3T/4 0 -ωA 0 ½kA2 0

T A 0 -ω2A 0 ½kA2

Quantities at various stages

during the cycle

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

x  A cost   
v  A sin t   
a   2 A cost   

1 2 1
K mv  m 2 A2 sin 2 (t   )
2 2
1 2 1
U kx  kA2 cos 2 (t   )
2 2

E  K  U  12 kA2
 Comparing simple harmonic motion
with circular motion

Simple harmonic motion

resembles the projection
in one dimension of
rotational motion, i.e. the
x-component of a particle
in uniform rotational
motion performs simple
harmonic motion

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 x  A cos   A cos(t   )
v   A sin    A sin(t   )
a   A 2 cos    A 2 cos(t   )

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 The pendulum
The simple pendulum
Consider a mass m suspended from
a very light string of length L.
The mass is forced to move along
path s in the diagram. Applying
Newton’s 2nd Law in the s-direction:
d 2s
 Fs  ma  mg sin   m dt 2
d 2 g
s  L  2   sin 
dt L

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 For small  : sin  

d 2 g
 2  
dt L
This equation has the general form of the simple
harmonic motion equation 2
d x
2
  2
x
dt
Thus
g
   
g 2 L
T   2
2

L L  g

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 Example 15.5 – A connection between length and time

Determine the length of a pendulum that has a

period of exactly 1 s on the surface of the Earth
2
L
 T  2 2 L gT
T  2 2
L
g g 4 2

9.8 12
L  = 0.248 m
4 2

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion

 There are two other common types of pendulum:

The physical pendulum

Unlike the simple pendulum, the mass here is not
concentrated at one point. Hence the position of its
centre of mass and its moment of inertia become
critical and ultimately determine the period
The torsional pendulum
Here an extended mass is suspended by a wire that
is subjected to shear stress. The mass oscillates by
rotating about the axis of the wire

PHY1A01 – Waves: Oscillatory Motion