PHYS 165 MODULE 6 VERIFIED ANSWERS AND QUESTIONS -
MOST RECENT EDITION 2026/2027
1. Q: What do we call motion that is repeated as a function of time?
ANSWER Periodic motion.
2. Q: What is simple harmonic motion (SHM)? ANSWER Motion where
the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement and acts in
the opposite direction.
3. Q: What is the restoring force in a mass-spring system? ANSWER
Hooke's Law: F = –kx.
4. Q: What does the negative sign in Hooke's Law indicate? ANSWER
The force acts in the opposite direction of displacement.
5. Q: What is the period of a simple pendulum dependent on? ANSWER
Length of the string and acceleration due to gravity (T = 2π√(L/g)).
6. Q: Is the period of a simple pendulum dependent on mass? ANSWER
No.
7. Q: What is amplitude? ANSWER The maximum displacement from the
equilibrium position.
8. Q: What is frequency? ANSWER The number of complete cycles per
unit time (measured in Hertz).
9. Q: What is the relationship between period and frequency? ANSWER f
= 1/T and T = 1/f.
10. Q: What is the unit of frequency? ANSWER Hertz (Hz).
11. Q: What is the equilibrium position in SHM? ANSWER The position
where the net force on the object is zero.
12. Q: At what point in SHM is velocity maximum? ANSWER At the
equilibrium position.
,13. Q: At what point in SHM is acceleration maximum? ANSWER At the
maximum displacement (amplitude).
14. Q: At what point in SHM is velocity zero? ANSWER At the maximum
displacement (turning points).
15. Q: What is the formula for the period of a mass on a spring?
ANSWER T = 2π√(m/k).
16. Q: Does the period of a mass-spring system depend on amplitude?
ANSWER No (for small amplitudes).
17. Q: What is a cycle in periodic motion? ANSWER One complete
repetition of the motion.
18. Q: What is the phase of an oscillator? ANSWER A quantity that
describes the stage of the motion within a cycle.
19. Q: What is a simple pendulum? ANSWER A mass (bob) suspended
from a fixed point by a string of negligible mass.
20. Q: Under what condition does a pendulum exhibit simple harmonic
motion? ANSWER For small angles (typically θ < 15°).
21. Q: What happens to the period of a pendulum if you increase its
length? ANSWER The period increases.
22. Q: What happens to the period of a pendulum if you increase the mass
of the bob? ANSWER Nothing; period is independent of mass.
23. Q: What is the angular frequency (ω) in SHM? ANSWER ω = 2πf =
√(k/m) for a spring, or ω = √(g/L) for a pendulum.
24. Q: What is the total mechanical energy in an ideal SHM system?
ANSWER It remains constant; E = ½kA².
25. Q: At what point is kinetic energy maximum in SHM? ANSWER At
the equilibrium position.
26. Q: At what point is potential energy maximum in SHM? ANSWER At
the maximum displacement.
27. Q: What is the formula for the velocity of an object in SHM? ANSWER
v = ±ω√(A² – x²).
28. Q: What is the formula for acceleration in SHM? ANSWER a = –ω²x.
, 29. Q: What is a physical pendulum? ANSWER An extended object that
swings about a pivot point.
30. Q: What is the formula for the period of a physical pendulum?
ANSWER T = 2π√(I/mgh), where I is the moment of inertia.
31. Q: What is damped harmonic motion? ANSWER SHM where energy
is gradually lost to friction or resistance.
32. Q: What is critical damping? ANSWER The minimum amount of
damping that prevents oscillation.
33. Q: What is overdamping? ANSWER When damping is so large that
the system returns to equilibrium very slowly without oscillating.
34. Q: What is underdamping? ANSWER When the system oscillates
with gradually decreasing amplitude.
35. Q: What is resonance? ANSWER The phenomenon where a system
oscillates with maximum amplitude when driven at its natural frequency.
36. Q: What is the natural frequency? ANSWER The frequency at which
a system naturally oscillates without external driving force.
37. Q: What is a driven oscillator? ANSWER A system that is subjected
to an external periodic force.
38. Q: What happens to amplitude as the driving frequency approaches
the natural frequency? ANSWER The amplitude increases dramatically
(resonance).
39. Q: What is the displacement equation for SHM? ANSWER x(t) = A
cos(ωt + φ) or x(t) = A sin(ωt + φ).
40. Q: What does φ represent in the SHM displacement equation?
ANSWER The initial phase angle (phase constant).
41. Q: If a pendulum has a period of 2 seconds on Earth, what happens to
its period on the Moon? ANSWER It increases because g is smaller on
the Moon.
42. Q: What is the relationship between angular frequency and period?
ANSWER ω = 2π/T.
43. Q: What is a torsional pendulum? ANSWER An object suspended by
a wire that twists back and forth.
MOST RECENT EDITION 2026/2027
1. Q: What do we call motion that is repeated as a function of time?
ANSWER Periodic motion.
2. Q: What is simple harmonic motion (SHM)? ANSWER Motion where
the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement and acts in
the opposite direction.
3. Q: What is the restoring force in a mass-spring system? ANSWER
Hooke's Law: F = –kx.
4. Q: What does the negative sign in Hooke's Law indicate? ANSWER
The force acts in the opposite direction of displacement.
5. Q: What is the period of a simple pendulum dependent on? ANSWER
Length of the string and acceleration due to gravity (T = 2π√(L/g)).
6. Q: Is the period of a simple pendulum dependent on mass? ANSWER
No.
7. Q: What is amplitude? ANSWER The maximum displacement from the
equilibrium position.
8. Q: What is frequency? ANSWER The number of complete cycles per
unit time (measured in Hertz).
9. Q: What is the relationship between period and frequency? ANSWER f
= 1/T and T = 1/f.
10. Q: What is the unit of frequency? ANSWER Hertz (Hz).
11. Q: What is the equilibrium position in SHM? ANSWER The position
where the net force on the object is zero.
12. Q: At what point in SHM is velocity maximum? ANSWER At the
equilibrium position.
,13. Q: At what point in SHM is acceleration maximum? ANSWER At the
maximum displacement (amplitude).
14. Q: At what point in SHM is velocity zero? ANSWER At the maximum
displacement (turning points).
15. Q: What is the formula for the period of a mass on a spring?
ANSWER T = 2π√(m/k).
16. Q: Does the period of a mass-spring system depend on amplitude?
ANSWER No (for small amplitudes).
17. Q: What is a cycle in periodic motion? ANSWER One complete
repetition of the motion.
18. Q: What is the phase of an oscillator? ANSWER A quantity that
describes the stage of the motion within a cycle.
19. Q: What is a simple pendulum? ANSWER A mass (bob) suspended
from a fixed point by a string of negligible mass.
20. Q: Under what condition does a pendulum exhibit simple harmonic
motion? ANSWER For small angles (typically θ < 15°).
21. Q: What happens to the period of a pendulum if you increase its
length? ANSWER The period increases.
22. Q: What happens to the period of a pendulum if you increase the mass
of the bob? ANSWER Nothing; period is independent of mass.
23. Q: What is the angular frequency (ω) in SHM? ANSWER ω = 2πf =
√(k/m) for a spring, or ω = √(g/L) for a pendulum.
24. Q: What is the total mechanical energy in an ideal SHM system?
ANSWER It remains constant; E = ½kA².
25. Q: At what point is kinetic energy maximum in SHM? ANSWER At
the equilibrium position.
26. Q: At what point is potential energy maximum in SHM? ANSWER At
the maximum displacement.
27. Q: What is the formula for the velocity of an object in SHM? ANSWER
v = ±ω√(A² – x²).
28. Q: What is the formula for acceleration in SHM? ANSWER a = –ω²x.
, 29. Q: What is a physical pendulum? ANSWER An extended object that
swings about a pivot point.
30. Q: What is the formula for the period of a physical pendulum?
ANSWER T = 2π√(I/mgh), where I is the moment of inertia.
31. Q: What is damped harmonic motion? ANSWER SHM where energy
is gradually lost to friction or resistance.
32. Q: What is critical damping? ANSWER The minimum amount of
damping that prevents oscillation.
33. Q: What is overdamping? ANSWER When damping is so large that
the system returns to equilibrium very slowly without oscillating.
34. Q: What is underdamping? ANSWER When the system oscillates
with gradually decreasing amplitude.
35. Q: What is resonance? ANSWER The phenomenon where a system
oscillates with maximum amplitude when driven at its natural frequency.
36. Q: What is the natural frequency? ANSWER The frequency at which
a system naturally oscillates without external driving force.
37. Q: What is a driven oscillator? ANSWER A system that is subjected
to an external periodic force.
38. Q: What happens to amplitude as the driving frequency approaches
the natural frequency? ANSWER The amplitude increases dramatically
(resonance).
39. Q: What is the displacement equation for SHM? ANSWER x(t) = A
cos(ωt + φ) or x(t) = A sin(ωt + φ).
40. Q: What does φ represent in the SHM displacement equation?
ANSWER The initial phase angle (phase constant).
41. Q: If a pendulum has a period of 2 seconds on Earth, what happens to
its period on the Moon? ANSWER It increases because g is smaller on
the Moon.
42. Q: What is the relationship between angular frequency and period?
ANSWER ω = 2π/T.
43. Q: What is a torsional pendulum? ANSWER An object suspended by
a wire that twists back and forth.
