Simple harmonic motion equations as a function of time

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on the equations of simple harmonic motion (SHM) and how to determine the correct formulas based on initial conditions. Two sets of equations are presented for displacement, velocity, and acceleration as functions of time, differing primarily in the use of cosine or sine functions. The choice of formula depends on the initial displacement and velocity of the mass at t=0, which are crucial for defining the amplitude and phase. For a specific example involving a mass-spring system, the correct approach is to use the equation x(t)=Acos(ωt+φ) to calculate displacement, with parameters derived from the system's characteristics. Understanding these initial conditions is essential for accurately modeling the motion of the mass.
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I conducted a mass-sprig experiment to see how stiffness of a spring and mass affect the frequency of oscillation. In addition to this to this i have to plot a graph to show displacement,velocity and acceleration of the mass as a function of time.From my research online

For the displacement as a function of time:
x(t)=x*cos(w*t)

For the velocity as a function of time(Deriving the above):
v(t)=x*w*sin(w*t)

For the acceleration as a function of time(Deriving the above):
a(t)=-x*w^2*cos(w*t)

But when i loot at other sources it shows different equations (such as instead of cos its sin).
For the displacement as a function of time:
x(t)=x*sin(w*t)

For the velocity as a function of time(Deriving the above):
v(t)=x*w*cos(w*t)

For the acceleration as a function of time(Deriving the above):
a(t)=-x*w^2*sin(w*t)

My question is what formula do i use ?
 
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The formula that you use depends on what you are trying to describe, namely what is the displacement of the mass at t = 0 and what is its velocity. These are the so-called initial conditions.
 
You need to use, for position
$$x(t) = A \cos{(\omega t + \varphi)}$$
where ##A>0## is called the "amplitude" and tells you the maximum distance to the equilibrium, ##\omega## is the "angular frequency" and tells you how many oscillations you do in ##2\pi## seconds and ##\varphi\in [0,2\pi)## is called "initial phase" and essentially gives you the information on what is the initial position and initial velocity.
Differentiating you get:
$$v(t) = -A\omega \sin{(\omega t + \varphi)}, \qquad a(t) = -A\omega^2 \cos{(\omega t + \varphi)}$$

Note that your first set of equations is putting ##\varphi=0##, and the second one is putting ##\varphi=\frac{3\pi}{2}##.
 
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kuruman said:
The formula that you use depends on what you are trying to describe, namely what is the displacement of the mass at t = 0 and what is its velocity. These are the so-called initial conditions.
Displacement at of the mass at t=0 is the maximum displacement which is 0.05 meters
 
zilex191 said:
Displacement at of the mass at t=0 is the maximum displacement which is 0.05 meters
Then you must use (see my previous post)
##A=0.05 \text{m}##
##\phi = 0##
Although I would recommend you to try to figure out the values of ##A## and ##\phi## with your data because there are always some errors in setting the initial conditions.
 
Then the expression to use is ##x(t)=0.05~(\mathrm{m})\cos(\omega t)##. How do I know? Because at ##t=0## the expression gives ##x(0)=0.05~(\mathrm{m})\cos(0)=0.05~\mathrm{m}.##

More generally, if the mass at ##t=0## is at ##x(0)=x_0## and has velocity ##v(0)=v_0##, the position at any time ##t## is given by ##x(t)=x_0\cos(\omega t)+\dfrac{v_0}{\omega}\sin(\omega t)##. Note that the expressions provided by @Gaussian97 in #3 are also correct but, in my opinion, less transparent in the general case.
 
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kuruman said:
Then the expression to use is ##x(t)=0.05~(\mathrm{m})\cos(\omega t)##. How do I know? Because at ##t=0## the expression gives ##x(0)=0.05~(\mathrm{m})\cos(0)=0.05~\mathrm{m}.##
Thank you very much for your replies@kuruman @Gaussian97.
But in this case
Consider a body weighing 100 N suspended from a spring of constant k = 220 . At time t = 0, it has a downward velocity of 0.5 m.s-1 as it passes through the position of static equilibrium.

So i would use x(t)=Acos(ωt+φ) to work out the displacement x as a function of time, where x is measured from the position of static equilibrium?
 
zilex191 said:
Thank you very much for your replies@kuruman @Gaussian97.
But in this case
Consider a body weighing 100 N suspended from a spring of constant k = 220 . At time t = 0, it has a downward velocity of 0.5 m.s-1 as it passes through the position of static equilibrium.

So i would use x(t)=Acos(ωt+φ) to work out the displacement x as a function of time, where x is measured from the position of static equilibrium?
Yes, with ##k## and ##m## you can compute ##\omega##, then you need to solve the system of equations
$$0 = A \cos{(\varphi)}$$
$$-0.5\text{ms}^{-1} = -A\omega \sin{(\varphi)}$$
 
zilex191 said:
Thank you very much for your replies@kuruman @Gaussian97.
But in this case
Consider a body weighing 100 N suspended from a spring of constant k = 220 . At time t = 0, it has a downward velocity of 0.5 m.s-1 as it passes through the position of static equilibrium.

So i would use x(t)=Acos(ωt+φ) to work out the displacement x as a function of time, where x is measured from the position of static equilibrium?
Note that I edited my previous post and gave you a general equation to describe your situation. It might be instructive to do it the way that @Gaussian97 suggests and then redo it the way I suggest.
 
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