WAVE MATHEMATICS

Periodic Motion motion of an object that regularly repeats the object returns to a given position
after a fixed time interval
Give some examples of periodic motion in everyday life.
Other systems that exhibit periodic motion:

Molecules in a solid oscillate about their equilibrium position

Light waves, radar, and radio waves are characterized by oscillating electric and magnetic
field vectors

Voltage, current, and electric charge in electrical circuits vary periodically with time

Simple Harmonic Motion the motion of an object produced by a force which is directed toward an
equilibrium position
Model of Simple Harmonic Motion
A block of mass m attached to the end of a
spring, with the block free to move on a
horizontal, frictionless surface
Equilibrium position the spring is neither
stretched nor compressed, x = 0
When the block is displaced to a position x,
the spring exerts on the block a Force Fs that
is proportional to the position x
Hookes Law: Fs = -kx
Fs is a restoring force, always directed towards
the equilibrium position and opposite the
displacement
Newtons Second Law attached to the motion of the block:
Fx = max

-kx = max

Period, T:

a is acceleration

Potential energy of a spring:

Please view Video 1 below for the illustration of the motion of an object attached to a vertical spring.

Watch the following videos below for an increased understanding of the subject matter.
Periodic motion 1
Periodic motion 2

Mathematical representation of Simple Harmonic Motion

( )

) ; A is amplitude,

is angular frequency,

is phase constant, (

)is the phase of motion

The period, T the time interval required for a particle to go through one full cyle
or

Equations specific to simple pendulums were introduced in the video.

List the most important equations for your reference.

Answer the following questions. Email answers to msecondes@gmail.com. Save your file (word or pdf)
with the file name YOUR FAMILY NAME_Date of submission, e.g. SECONDES_nov29. You may opt to
submit a handwritten report to the RPDO. Deadline: Dec 6, 2014 (Saturday).
1. Determine whether or not the following quantities can be in the same direction for a simple
harmonic oscillator. (a) position and velocity (b) velocity and acceleration (c) position and
acceleration
2. A block-spring system undergoes a simple harmonic solution with amplitude A. Does the total
energy change if the mass is doubled but the amplitude is not changed? Do the kinetic and
potential energies depend on mass? Explain.
3. What happens to the period of simple pendulum if the pendulums length is doubled? What
happen to the period if the mass of the suspended bob is doubled?
4. A grandfathers clock is running slow, how could we adjust the length of the pendulum to
correct this time?
5. The pendulum bob is made of a sphere filled with water. What would happen to the frequency
of vibration of this pendulum if there were a hole in the sphere that allowed the water to leak
out slowly.
6. What is a phase angle? Write the equation for displacement of a simple harmonic oscillator
including the phase angle .

7. What is a simple pendulum? Draw the free-body diagram of a simple pendulum. By summing
up forces acting on the mass, derive the equation for the period of a simple pendulum.

8. The period of a simple pendulum is 1 s. How will lowering position of the mass affect the period
of the pendulum?

9. The pendulum on the clock that strikes the hours on bell Big Ben in London was particularly
noted for its accuracy. How would placing a penny on top of the bob affect the clock?
10. A coil spring has a spring constant of 54 N/m2. If the full length of the spring is 35 cm when the
1-kg mass is hung from it, what is the equilibrium length of the spring when the 1-kg mass is
removed?

11. A harmonic oscillator with an amplitude of 30 cm has a displacement of 30 cm at t = 0. At t =

0.20 s, it has a displacement of 27 cm, without having passed through zero displacement. What
is the period of the oscillators motion?

12. A 0.5-kg air-track glider is attached at the end of the track by a horizontal coil spring of k = 20
N/m. The glider is displaced 15.0 cm from its equilibrium position and released, so it oscillates
back and forth on the track.
a. What is the maximum acceleration of the glider?
b. What is the acceleration at a time equal to one-eighth of the oscillators period?
c. What is the position at a time equal to one-eighth of the oscillators period?

13. A 0.5-kg puppet oscillates at the end of a light spring of constant k=2N/m. What is the
frequency and period of oscillation?

14. A circus performer bobs up and down at the end of a long elastic rope at a rate of once every
two seconds. By how much is the rope extended beyond its unloaded length when the
performer hangs at rest?

15. A child swings on a playground spring attached to chains 4.0 m long.

a. Calculate the period of the spring for small-amplitude oscillations.
b. What would be the new period if the seat height were raised 1.0 m? Assume the center
of mass to be at the position of the seat.