Hooke's Law and Harmonic Motion

Front

What is Hooke's Law?

Back

Hooke's Law states that the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the amount it is stretched or compressed, represented by the formula F = -kx, where F is the force, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement from the equilibrium position.

Front

What is oscillation?

Back

Oscillation refers to the repetitive back and forth motion of an object around a central point or equilibrium position.

Front

What is amplitude in the context of harmonic motion?

Back

Amplitude is the maximum distance from the equilibrium position to the peak of the wave or the maximum displacement in oscillatory motion.

Front

How is potential energy stored in a spring calculated?

Back

Potential energy (PE) stored in a spring is calculated using the formula PE = 1/2 kx², where k is the spring constant and x is the displacement from the equilibrium position.

Front

What is the spring constant?

Back

The spring constant (k) is a measure of a spring's stiffness, defined as the force required to stretch or compress the spring by a unit distance.

Front

What is the relationship between force and displacement in a spring?

Back

According to Hooke's Law, the force exerted by a spring is directly proportional to the displacement from its equilibrium position, meaning that as the displacement increases, the force also increases.

Front

What is the formula for calculating the period of a simple harmonic oscillator?

Back

The period (T) of a simple harmonic oscillator, such as a pendulum or spring, is calculated using the formula T = 2π√(m/k) for a mass-spring system, where m is the mass and k is the spring constant.

Front

What is the role of gravity in pendulum motion?

Back

Gravity acts as the restoring force in pendulum motion, pulling the pendulum back towards its equilibrium position and causing it to oscillate.

Front

How does mass affect the period of a pendulum?

Back

In an ideal pendulum, the mass does not affect the period; the period is determined solely by the length of the pendulum and the acceleration due to gravity.

Front

What is equilibrium position in harmonic motion?

Back

The equilibrium position is the point at which the net force acting on the object is zero, and the object experiences no acceleration.