If the net force can be described by Hooke’s law and there is no damping (slowing down due to friction or other nonconservative forces), then a simple harmonic oscillator oscillates with equal displacement on either side of the equilibrium position, as shown for an object on a spring in Figure 15.3.
This force obeys Hooke’s law F s = − k x, F s = − k x, as discussed in a previous chapter. The object oscillates around the equilibrium position, and the net force on the object is equal to the force provided by the spring. In simple harmonic motion, the acceleration of the system, and therefore the net force, is proportional to the displacement and acts in the opposite direction of the displacement.Ī good example of SHM is an object with mass m attached to a spring on a frictionless surface, as shown in Figure 15.3.
