17.2.1—The interchange between kinetic and potential energy during simple harmonic
- Syllabus
- 9702–2028–2029
- Objective
- 17.2.1
- Level
- A2
In SHM, kinetic and potential energy exchange while total mechanical energy stays constant
As an SHM oscillator moves, kinetic energy is greatest at equilibrium and elastic or other potential energy is greatest at the extremes; their sum is constant in the ideal model.
Use the position to infer the energy split and identify any damping or driving that would break constancy.
A spring mass has maximum elastic energy at x=±A and maximum kinetic energy at x=0.
Energy is not created at the centre; it has transferred from potential to kinetic.
ConceptA-Level CAIE Physics A2