All Flashcards

What is the effect of increasing the displacement (x) on potential energy (U)?

Potential energy increases quadratically ( $U = \frac{1}{2}kx^2$ ).

What happens to kinetic energy as an oscillator approaches its equilibrium position?

Kinetic energy increases, reaching its maximum at the equilibrium position.

What happens to the total energy of a SHM system if there are no non-conservative forces?

The total energy remains constant.

What happens to the total energy of a SHM system if the amplitude of the oscillation is doubled?

The total energy quadruples.

Compare potential and kinetic energy in SHM.

Potential Energy: Maximum at maximum displacement, minimum at equilibrium. Kinetic Energy: Maximum at equilibrium, minimum at maximum displacement.

Differentiate between internal energy and potential energy in SHM.

Internal Energy: Energy associated with random motion of particles, stored as elastic potential energy. Potential Energy: Energy due to position or configuration within a force field.

Describe the energy transformation in SHM.

Continuous conversion between potential and kinetic energy. Maximum potential energy at maximum displacement; maximum kinetic energy at equilibrium.

How to calculate total energy at maximum displacement?

At maximum displacement, all energy is potential. Use $U = \frac{1}{2}kx^2$ to calculate total energy.

How to calculate total energy at equilibrium?

At equilibrium, all energy is kinetic. Total energy is equal to the potential energy at maximum displacement, calculated using $U = \frac{1}{2}kx^2$ .