I have trouble visualizing simple harmonic motion, and remembering all the related equations. How should I think about it?

The key is to realize that displacement, velocity and acceleration all vary sinusoidally, with the graph of each being displaced relative to the preceding one by 90 degrees; thinking about these three graphs, and how they describe the motion of a horizontal mass-spring system, will give you an intuitive understanding of the dynamics of simple harmonic motion (SHM).Knowing the defining equation of SHM, a = -w2x, and remembering that x, v and a are all sine or cosine functions, you can derive all the equations by simply applying Newton's laws to the system. Do this once, and see how each equation arises from the underlying physics; this will help you remember them, because you'll know what they mean and why they're true.

GC
Answered by Gianluca C. Physics tutor

2046 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

The LHC accelerates protons to a speed of 0.999999991c around a 27km ring. Due to relativistic effects, their mass increases. Given that the magnetic fields used are 8T, calculate this mass. What is the total energy of an LHC beam containing 3e14 protons?


What velocity should your boat have if you want to cross a 72m wide river in 6s by the shortest distance, with a 5 m/s downstream current?


What is the difference between a scalar and a vector quantity?


What is resonance


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning