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Energy and Simple Harmonic Motion

A freely oscillating object oscillates with constant amplitude as there are no frictional forces acting upon it. The only force acting on it is the restoring force.Consider the transfers of energy of a simple pendulum.At the highest point, the kinetic energy is zero as the velocity is zero and the gravitational potential energy is a maximum.At the lowest point (equilibrium position) all the gravitational potential energy has been transferred to kinetic energy.As it rises, the kinetic energy is transferred to gravitational potential energy again.Using EP = ½kA2 where k is the spring constant and the amplitude A has been substituted for x, the kinetic energy is given byEk=Etotal - EP = ½mv2
therefore:
Ek=½k(A2 - x2)

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Specification: AQA Physics (7408), A-level, 3.6.1.2 Simple harmonic motion (SHM) and 3.6.1.3 Simple harmonic systems. Topic: Simple Harmonic Motion.

Key terms in this lesson

Gravitational potential
The work done per unit mass to move a small test mass from infinity to a point in a gravitational field; it is zero at infinity and negative everywhere else.

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