I have trouble visualizing simple harmonic motion, and remembering all the related equations. How should I think about it?

The key is to realize that displacement, velocity and acceleration all vary sinusoidally, with the graph of each being displaced relative to the preceding one by 90 degrees; thinking about these three graphs, and how they describe the motion of a horizontal mass-spring system, will give you an intuitive understanding of the dynamics of simple harmonic motion (SHM).Knowing the defining equation of SHM, a = -w2x, and remembering that x, v and a are all sine or cosine functions, you can derive all the equations by simply applying Newton's laws to the system. Do this once, and see how each equation arises from the underlying physics; this will help you remember them, because you'll know what they mean and why they're true.

GC

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

If a ball is thrown on the Moon, the projectile would have a greater range than if it were to have been thrown on Earth. Why is this the case?


A projectile is fired at an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal, it reaches a maximum height of 12m above the ground before coming to rest 600m from its initial starting point at the same level. What is the initial speed of the projectile?


What is the difference between a Scalar and a Vector?


Show that gravitational force within a nuclei is negilible compared with the electric repulsion.