Experiment Mx-01
Simple Harmonic Motion
Description: A
bent wire, connected to a motor driving it with constant angular velocity, holds
a ball with an arrow. The arrow can be oriented tangentially or radially. A point-source
lamp projects the vertical position of this ball onto the wall. With the projected
image, the phase relations between displacement, velocity, and acceleration are
shown. Also, the relationship between these quantities in simple harmonic motion
and the corresponding quantities in uniform circular motion can be easily demonstrated.
See Mx-01c for a version of the experiment that
uses the PASCO interface to make quantitative measurements of the mass-spring
system.
Simple
harmonic motion demonstrated by the projection of an arrow off a rotating disc.
The relationship between the simple harmonic motion of the rotating ball and
the spring-mass system can be illustrated by simultaneously projecting the movement
of the rotating ball and a spring mass-system. The demonstration works best
when both systems have the same period and phase.
Setup
from the side - motor driven wire with ball (R) and spring-mass system (L)
Images
of the projection from both systems at maximal displacements
Materials: spring-mass
system, motor, wire with arrow and ball, light source for projection
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Friday August 15, 2008 8:37 PM
