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Circular Motion
Circular Motion
Circular motion describes the behaviour of objects moving along a curved path at a constant speed, where their direction is continuously changing. In this topic you examine the idea of centripetal acceleration, which always points towards the centre of the circle, and the centripetal force required to maintain the motion. You may use formula to analyse situations involving rotating machinery, orbital motion, and vehicles on curved tracks. Although the speed of the object may remain constant, the continual change in direction means that it is always accelerating. Understanding circular motion provides the foundation for later topics such as simple harmonic motion and gravitational orbits.
Simple Harmonic Motion.
Simple Harmonic Motion.
Simple harmonic motion (SHM) describes oscillations where the acceleration of an object is proportional to its displacement from an equilibrium position and directed towards that position. In this topic you examine systems such as mass–spring systems and pendulums, identifying the conditions under which their motion can be modelled as SHM. You will explore how displacement, velocity, and acceleration vary sinusoidally with time, and analyse how period and frequency depend on system parameters. You also consider energy changes during oscillations, where kinetic and potential energy interchange while the total remains constant. SHM provides a mathematical framework for understanding a wide range of physical systems, from mechanical vibrations to alternating currents and wave behaviour.
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