Physics › Section K · Oscillations and waves › Topic K.4
Energy in SHM and its link to circular motion
An undamped oscillator keeps a fixed store of energy and passes it back and forth between motion and deformation. Energy gives the speed at every point of the swing, and a point moving round a circle gives the same motion seen side-on, along with the period formula itself.
In this topic
- Energy that changes form
- The energy equation
- Maximum speed and speed anywhere
- Worked example: a block on a spring
- Worked example: a pendulum's energy
- SHM as the shadow of circular motion
- Speed and period from the circle
- Worked example: a turntable shadow
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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