Unit 7: Oscillations

A focused answer to AP Physics 1 Topic 7.1, covering simple harmonic motion as oscillation driven by a restoring force proportional to displacement, the condition F = -kx, the role of the equilibrium position, and how the mass-spring and pendulum systems meet this condition, with full worked examples.

A focused answer to AP Physics 1 Topic 7.4, covering the continuous interchange of kinetic and elastic potential energy in SHM, the conservation of total mechanical energy, the relation E = half k A squared, and how the total energy scales with the square of the amplitude, with full worked examples.

A focused answer to AP Physics 1 Topic 7.2, covering the relation between period and frequency, the period of a mass-spring system T = 2 pi root m over k, the period of a simple pendulum T = 2 pi root L over g, and why both are independent of amplitude, with full worked examples.

A focused answer to AP Physics 1 Topic 7.3, covering the sinusoidal position function x = A cos(2 pi f t), the phase relationships between position, velocity and acceleration, reading amplitude and period from a graph, and where each quantity reaches its extremes, with full worked examples.