STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
PHY 133 L20
Simple Harmonic Motion
Muhammad Ali
Lab Partner: Magdalena Jankowski
TA: Jacob Larkin
Experiment Date: November 21, 2018
Report Date: November 28, 2018
, Introduction:
The primary focus of this experiment is air track, which is a scientific device used to
study motion in low friction environment. Its name comes from its structure: air is pumped
through a hollow track with fine holes all along the track that allows specially fitted air track cars
to glide relatively friction-free. The central purpose of this experiment is to utilize an air track to
observe simple harmonic motion of a system that consists of a mass attached to a spring. Simple
harmonic motion by definition, in mechanics and physics, is a special type of periodic motion or
oscillation motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement and acts
in the direction opposite to that of displacement. Furthermore, accordancing to the Georgia State
University, simple harmonic is characterized by “the motion of a mass on a spring when it is
subject to the linear elastic restoring force given by Hooke’s Law.” The source goes on to state
that the motion is sinusoidal in time—oscillates smoothly like a sine wave—and demonstrates a
single resonant frequency. The secondary purpose of this experiment is to establish the
relationship between the period T, mass m, and spring constant k. Although the lab manual
doesn’t explicitly state the principal measurements that comprise this experiment, I’d assume
they are period (T), mass (m), spring constant (k), angular frequency (ω), and force (F).
Henceforth, these measurements are crucial to reveal the main physics point that energy is
conserved in this particular glider-spring system revealed through the potential energy stored in
the spring with the glider displaced and the kinetic energy of the glider.
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
PHY 133 L20
Simple Harmonic Motion
Muhammad Ali
Lab Partner: Magdalena Jankowski
TA: Jacob Larkin
Experiment Date: November 21, 2018
Report Date: November 28, 2018
, Introduction:
The primary focus of this experiment is air track, which is a scientific device used to
study motion in low friction environment. Its name comes from its structure: air is pumped
through a hollow track with fine holes all along the track that allows specially fitted air track cars
to glide relatively friction-free. The central purpose of this experiment is to utilize an air track to
observe simple harmonic motion of a system that consists of a mass attached to a spring. Simple
harmonic motion by definition, in mechanics and physics, is a special type of periodic motion or
oscillation motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement and acts
in the direction opposite to that of displacement. Furthermore, accordancing to the Georgia State
University, simple harmonic is characterized by “the motion of a mass on a spring when it is
subject to the linear elastic restoring force given by Hooke’s Law.” The source goes on to state
that the motion is sinusoidal in time—oscillates smoothly like a sine wave—and demonstrates a
single resonant frequency. The secondary purpose of this experiment is to establish the
relationship between the period T, mass m, and spring constant k. Although the lab manual
doesn’t explicitly state the principal measurements that comprise this experiment, I’d assume
they are period (T), mass (m), spring constant (k), angular frequency (ω), and force (F).
Henceforth, these measurements are crucial to reveal the main physics point that energy is
conserved in this particular glider-spring system revealed through the potential energy stored in
the spring with the glider displaced and the kinetic energy of the glider.
