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Physics LibreTexts

13: Simple Harmonic Motion

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Learning Objectives
  • Understand how to model the position, velocity, and acceleration of a mass attached to a spring.
  • Understand the conditions under which a system undergoes simple harmonic motion.
  • Understand how to model the motion of a pendulum when it undergoes simple harmonic motion.

In this chapter, we look at oscillating systems that undergo “simple harmonic motion”, such as the motion of a mass attached to a spring. Many systems in the physical world, such as an oscillating pendulum, can be described by the same mathematical formalism that describes the motion of a mass attached to a spring.

Prelude

What do the motion of a mass attached to a spring, a cork bobbing in the water, and a pendulum have in common?


This page titled 13: Simple Harmonic Motion is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ryan D. Martin, Emma Neary, Joshua Rinaldo, and Olivia Woodman via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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