Periodic Motion

Periodic motion is defined as an object’s motion repeating itself along a specific path, around a specific point, over a specified period of time. A pendulum’s motion, a spring’s motion, the vibration of a guitar string, the earth’s rotation around its axis, the revolving of the Earth around the Sun, the revolving of the Sun around the centre of the Galaxy, and so on are all example of periodic motions. 

Periodic motion: Definition

The universe is filled with patterns that repeat themselves over and over. The beauty of patterns is that we can describe and understand them, which frequently involves the use of mathematics. The periodic motion, for example, refers to any movement of an item that is repeated over a period of time. The time it takes to return to where the movement began, whatever it is, is referred to as the periodic motion. 

There are so many acts and movements that are repetitive, we can discover dozens of examples of periodic motion in our daily lives. Periodic Motion Examples are as follows:

• The motion of a rocking chair is periodic. 
• The swinging motion of a swing is a periodic motion.
• A satellite orbiting the Earth 
• The vibrations of a tuning fork or the swing of a pendulum

Properties of Periodic Motion

The velocity of the object, the period of motion, and the amplitude of the motion are all characteristics of periodic motion. The time spent by a particle in periodic motion to pass a specific place from a specific direction at regular intervals is referred to as a time period. The three qualities of periodic motion are velocity, period, and amplitude.

1. Velocity: They’re all moving at the same speed. You can measure the speed of a bouncing ball, the weight of a pendulum, and other things.
2. Period: The period is the amount of time it takes for an object to travel back and forth.
3. Amplitude: The amplitude of an object is 1/2 the distance it travels from one side of the period to the other. The amplitude of a rotating item is equal to the radius of the circle

Simple Harmonic Motion 

For calculus-based physics students, this is a brief introduction to simple harmonic motion.

The motion of a mass on a spring, when subjected to Hooke’s Law’s linear elastic restoring force, is an example of simple harmonic motion. A simple harmonic oscillator is a system that follows simple harmonic motion.

In physics, there is a special example of periodic motion that is significant. When an object goes back and forth about a middle or equilibrium point, it is referred to as simple harmonic motion. The restoring force that pulls a movement back towards the middle must be proportional to the distance from that centre for it to be deemed a simple harmonic motion.

Characteristic of Simple harmonic Motion

The following are the important characteristics of Simple harmonic Motion:

• The body moves in a straight line as it oscillates.
• The body’s acceleration is always directed at a fixed point on the line. This is where the oscillation begins.
• The magnitude of this acceleration is proportional to the distance between it and its oscillation centre.

Examples of Simple Harmonic Motion

If a particle’s acceleration is directly proportional to its displacement from the mean position and oriented towards the mean position, it is said to have SHM.

1. Vertical oscillations of a loaded spring.
2. The bob of a basic pendulum.
3. Musical instrument string vibrations.
4. Sound waves propagate through the air, causing air particles to move.
5. A tuning fork vibrates.

Conclusion

We Learned about periodic motion, including its definition and examples, as well as simple harmonic motion, a subset of periodic motion. In a nutshell, a periodic motion is any movement that occurs at regular intervals. The acceleration of a particle in simple harmonic motion is directly proportional to its displacement and directed towards its mean location. The particle’s total energy is preserved as it moves in a simple harmonic motion. SHM is a motion that occurs on the periodic motion. The concept is easy and important for students.