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4.1 Oscillations
4. Oscillations and waves
Investigating simple harmonic motion
Background
“
S
imple harmonic motion is a special type of periodic motion where the restoring force on the
moving object is directly proportional to the magnitude of the object's displacement and acts
towards the object's equilibrium position. It results in an oscillation which, if uninhibited by friction
or any other dissipation of energy, continues indefi nitely
.
”
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_harmonic_motion
Experiment: Obtaining s-t, v-t and a-t graphs for an oscillating mass
Equipment: spring, mass, position sensor, retort stand, clamp, rigid card, ruler
Diagram
Method
1.
Connect the position sensor to your device.
2.
Displace the mass to set up the oscillation and begin recording displacement as a function of
time.
3.
This will also record velocity and acceleration as a function of time.
4.
Export the data to a spreadsheet programme.
5.
Plot the three graphs and attach them vertically to one another, from displacement, to velocity
to acceleration.
6.
Adjust the initial time to ensure all three graphs start at the same point.
7.
You can investigate additional factors, such as damping by increasing the area of the rigid
card.
Table of results
You will obtain a huge amount of data so it does not make sense to write this all down. The graph
will more than make up for this.
Analysis
By exporting this data you can analyse it much better. How are the three graphs related?
What are
the main features of the graph?
How do the forces change throughout the oscillation?
