The principles of simple harmonic motion

Simple harmonic motion is defined as oscillating motion in which the acceleration is

Proportional to the displacement

• Always in the opposite direction to the displacement
• Acceleration,a = - constant x displacement

 The minus sign tells that the acceleration is in the opposite direction to the displacement. The constant of proportionality depends on the time period T of the oscillations. The shorter the time period, the faster the oscillations, which means the larger the acceleration at any given displacement. So the constant is greater the shorter the time period. The constant in this equation is (2πf)² , where f is the frequency.

Frequency= 1/T

Simple harmonic motion equation: a= -(2πf)²x