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In mechanics and physics, simple harmonic motion (sometimes abbreviated as SHM) is a special type of periodic motion an object experiences by means of a restoring force whose magnitude is directly proportional to the distance of the object from an equilibrium position and acts towards the equilibrium position.
The restoring force is a function only of position of the mass or particle, and it is always directed back toward the equilibrium position of the system. The restoring force is often referred to in simple harmonic motion. The force responsible for restoring original size and shape is called the restoring force. [1] [2]
Due to frictional force, the velocity decreases in proportion to the acting frictional force. While in a simple undriven harmonic oscillator the only force acting on the mass is the restoring force, in a damped harmonic oscillator there is in addition a frictional force which is always in a direction to oppose the motion.
According to this formula, the graph of the applied force F s as a function of the displacement x will be a straight line passing through the origin, whose slope is k. Hooke's law for a spring is also stated under the convention that F s is the restoring force exerted by the spring on whatever is pulling its free end.
In harmonic oscillators, the restoring force is proportional in magnitude (and opposite in direction) to the displacement of x from its natural position x 0. The resulting differential equation implies that x must oscillate sinusoidally over time, with a period of oscillation that is inherent to the system.
Simple harmonic motion – motion in which the body oscillates in such a way that the restoring force acting on it is directly proportional to the body's displacement. Mathematically Force is directly proportional to the negative of displacement. Negative sign signifies the restoring nature of the force. (e.g., that of a pendulum).
The systems where the restoring force on a body is directly proportional to its displacement, such as the dynamics of the spring-mass system, are described mathematically by the simple harmonic oscillator and the regular periodic motion is known as simple harmonic motion.
That is, the restoring force is exactly proportional to the distance from the center of rotation. A restoring force with this characteristic is called a harmonic force. The following parametric equation of the position as a function of time describes the motion of the circling masses: