Physics › Section K · Oscillations and waves › Topic K.1
Hooke's law, period, and frequency
A plucked ruler, a bouncing car and a vibrating guitar string all move back and forth about a resting position. A restoring force that grows with displacement drives that motion, and two numbers, the period and the frequency, describe how fast it repeats.
In this topic
- Motion that repeats
- Why an oscillator overshoots
- Hooke's law as a restoring force
- Measuring a force constant
- Worked example: calibrating a spring
- A spring hanging vertically
- Energy stored in a deformation
- Worked example: a trampoline
- Period and frequency
- Worked example: timing an oscillation
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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