Physics First: Periodic and Simple Harmonic Motion

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Periodic and Simple Harmonic Motion

This topic is broken into units to help in formulating cohesive, effective lessons. Clicking on each unit title below will display appropriate activities, lesson plans, or labs.

Unit materials are a subset of all possible materials available for this topic, selected especially with the new physics teacher in mind. You may instead browse all materials for this topic here.

Physics First Periodic and Simple Harmonic Motion Units

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM). The motion that occurs when an object is accelerated towards a midpoint or equilibruim position. The size of the acceleration is dependent upon the distance of the object from the mid-point. Examples of this type of motion are sea waves, pendulums and springs. Units are not listed in a prescribed order.

Simple Harmonic Motion (1)

Activities:

Pendulum

By varying the length, mass, and gravity of a simulated pendulum, students explore undamped simple harmonic motion. This simulation works well with the Pendulum lesson plan above. (Open Website)

Conservation of Energy and Forces on a Spring (3)

Activities:

PhET Simulation: Masses & Springs

In this realistic virtual mass-and-spring laboratory, students explore spring motion by manipulating stiffness of the spring and mass of the hanging weight. (Open Website)

Content Support For Teachers:

PhET Simulation: Masses & Springs

(Open Website)

Teaching about Energy: Dependence of Elastic Energy on Position

This lab activity, designed to explore the potential energy of springs, is offered in both an introductory and an advanced version. Using equipment available in most high school science labs, it includes reproducible data tables, "elicit" questions, and graphing activities. (Open Website)