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3 (a) State two conditions concerning the acceleration of an oscillating object that must apply for simple harmonic motion - OCR - A-Level Physics A - Question 3 - 2010 - Paper 1
Question 3
3 (a) State two conditions concerning the acceleration of an oscillating object that must apply for simple harmonic motion. 1. 2. (b) Fig. 3.1 shows how the pot... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:3 (a) State two conditions concerning the acceleration of an oscillating object that must apply for simple harmonic motion - OCR - A-Level Physics A - Question 3 - 2010 - Paper 1
Step 1
State two conditions concerning the acceleration of an oscillating object that must apply for simple harmonic motion.
Answer
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The acceleration is directly proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium position, following Hooke's Law.
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The acceleration is always directed towards the equilibrium position.
Step 2
On Fig. 3.1 sketch graphs to show the variation of kinetic energy of the oscillator with displacement - label this graph K.
Answer
The graph for kinetic energy (K) will be a curve that mirrors the potential energy graph. As the displacement from the equilibrium position increases, the kinetic energy decreases, reaching zero at maximum displacement, and is maximum at the equilibrium position.
Step 3
On Fig. 3.1 sketch graphs to show the variation of the total energy of the oscillator with displacement - label this graph T.
Answer
The graph for total energy (T) will be a horizontal line. The total energy remains constant throughout the oscillation, reflecting that it is the sum of kinetic and potential energy at any point during the motion.