Question

What are the differences circular motion and SHM

Answer 1

Uniform Circular Motion is… Motion in a circle at a constant velocity. There is usually some force that acts upon the object, causing it to accelerate towards the center (perpendicular to the velocity, which combined causes the circular motion).

Simple Harmonic Motion is… a repeated motion of the same strength (amplitude). It is usually orchestrated by a restorative force that keeps the propagation of motion constant, like a rope that keeps a pendulum anchored to one location, or a spring, which naturally tries to restore its beginning shape. Graphing the position of an object undergoing simple harmonic motion, versus time, produces a sine curve (or a cosine curve).

Here’s the kicker: If you have an instance of Uniform Circular Motion, and plot the object’s position versus time, your graph will be a sine curve; Uniform Circular Motion is a single type of Simple Harmonic Motion.

Answer 2

 Circular Motion is… Motion in a circle at a constant velocity. There is usually some force that acts upon the object, causing it to accelerate towards the center (perpendicular to the velocity, which combined causes the circular motion).

Simple Harmonic Motion is… a repeated motion of the same strength (amplitude). It is usually orchestrated by a restorative force that keeps the propagation of motion constant, like a rope that keeps a pendulum anchored to one location, or a spring, which naturally tries to restore its beginning shape. Graphing the position of an object undergoing simple harmonic motion, versus time, produces a sine curve (or a cosine curve).

Here’s the kicker: If you have an instance of Uniform Circular Motion, and plot the object’s position versus time, your graph will be a sine curve; Uniform Circular Motion is a single type of Simple Harmonic Motion.