Equations of the harmonic oscillator

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on the equations of the harmonic oscillator, specifically the formulas for position, velocity, and acceleration. The original poster seeks clarification on the geometric interpretation of these formulas and expresses confusion about accompanying figures. A response emphasizes that the simplest way to derive the velocity and acceleration formulas is through calculus, which the poster has not yet studied. The conversation also highlights the importance of understanding trigonometric functions in relation to the components of vectors in the context of harmonic motion. Overall, the thread underscores the need for foundational calculus knowledge to fully grasp these concepts.
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Hello, my book explains detailed the proofs of these three formulas:

y = Asin(ωt + φo)
v = ωAcos(ωt + φo)
a = -ω²Asin(ωt + φo)

Where a is acceleration, v is velocity, ω is angular velocity, A is amplitude.

The book uses the following figures:
Figure a) --> http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=30m8f9j&s=8
Figure b) --> http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2hrejde&s=8
Figure c) --> http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=a0f9te&s=8

In the first case a) what I'm seeing is that the sine in the triangle whose hypotenuse is R and opposite side vector y is (vector y)/(vector R), in this case R is the amplitude.

The rest b) and c) are just complicated, I don't understand them. Anyone out there to help me here?
Thank you!

Edit: Sorry for posting this here, it's supposed to go to homework help, my fault.
 
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Conceptual questions that arise from not understanding your textbook or lecturer's notes, are fine here. The homework-help forums are for getting help with solving specific exercises.

The simplest way to derive the formulas for v and a is by using calculus. v is the derivative of y with respect to t, and a is the derivative of v with respect to t. I suppose you haven't had calculus yet?
 
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jtbell said:
Conceptual questions that arise from not understanding your textbook or lecturer's notes, are fine here. The homework-help forums are for getting help with solving specific exercises.

The simplest way to derive the formulas for v and a is by using calculus. v is the derivative of y with respect to t, and a is the derivative of v with respect to t. I suppose you haven't had calculus yet?
Hi! Thank you for replying, no I haven't done calculus yet. I thought these formulas came from looking at the geometry of these vectors.
 
For figure (b), focus on the small right-triangle that has ##\vec v_t## as its hypotenuse. Which trig function (sin or cos) is associated with the y-component of ##\vec v_t##, and is that component + or -?

To get the amplitude (maximum value) of v, remember that the point moves around the circle at constant angular speed ω (radians/sec). What linear speed (m/sec) does that correspond to? (This is the magnitude of the vector ##\vec v_t##.)
 
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