Learning objectives
Define simple harmonic motion as motion produced by a restoring force proportional to the displacement from equilibrium and directed opposite to it
Define amplitude, period, frequency and angular frequency, and describe the sinusoidal variation of displacement, velocity and acceleration with time, identifying where each is maximum and where each is zero
Apply T = 2π√(m/k) to a mass–spring system and T = 2π√(L/g) to a simple pendulum at small amplitude, and explain why the period does not depend on amplitude
Analyze the continuous transformation between kinetic energy and elastic or gravitational potential energy during an oscillation, and calculate the maximum speed from the total energy
Design an experiment to determine g or a spring constant from period measurements, explaining which graph must be plotted so that the required quantity comes from the slope of a straight line
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