2nd year of post-compulsory secondary education
Simple Harmonic Movement
Carlos Campos Álvarez
SHM 
Teaching Units Print Home
4.1 Mechanical energy is conserved in the S.H.M.

Any moving body possesses kinetic energy. If velocity is written with regard to position, we get: 


Moreover, given that the elastic force acting on the body is a conservative force, the body carries with it a certain amount of potential elastic energy, according to the expression:     

 

 

The values of kinetic and potential energy depend on the position occupied by the body. However, the total energy possessed by the body remains constant during the whole trajectory.

               

 

Click on next to verify this in the graph.

 

Introduction
Definitions
Representing the S.H.M.
The kinematics of an S.H.M.
Position
Velocity
Acceleration
S.H.M. and Uniform Circular Movement
Phase
Conclusions
The dynamics of an S.H.M.
Elastic force
Frequency
Conclusions
The energy of an S.H.M.
Conservation of energy
Graphic representation
Conclusions
Evaluation