Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)
Simple harmonic motion (SHM) is an oscillatory motion whereby the acceleration of a particle is directly proportional to its mean position displacement at any given point. Although not all oscillatory motions are SHM, all simple harmonic motions are periodic and oscillatory (Saputri et al., 2021). Being periodic and oscillatory motions means that the motion repeats itself at a given interval of equal time; there is no stable equilibrium position, no restoring force, and no equilibrium position when the particle’s periodic motion is considered.
When the oscillatory motion is considered, the stable equilibrium position is the mean position; at the mean position, the net force from the particle is zero, no restoring force is directed towards the mean or equilibrium position, and the object continuously moves between two extreme points about a mean position or a fixed point, and a particle has to take to and from motion. The SHM is a special motion because it has oscillation and periodic features. Notably, this is because the mean position in a simple harmonic motion is a stable equilibrium, there is no restoring force directed towards the mean position, and the path of an object is a straight line.
The mentioned features of SHM can be used to identify the conditions that must be met to produce the motion. First, the velocity change rate must be proportional to the displacement to produce simple harmonic motion. Essentially, this is also termed the acceleration or restoring force acting on an object that must be proportional to the particle’s displacement and directed toward the mean position. Second, the net force must be described by F=-kx, where F is the restoring force, k is the force constant, and x is the displacement (Saputri et al., 2021). Notably, these are the two major conditions that can be derived from the features of SHM and must be met for the motion to occur.
References
Saputri, S. R., Wati, M., & Misbah, M. (2021, November). Simple harmonic motion electronic teaching materials based on authentic learning to train students’ problem-solving skills:
Aspects of validity. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 2126, No. 1, p. 012016). IOP Publishing.
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Question
What conditions must be met to produce SHM?