Question

An object under simple harmonic motion (SHM). Its maximum speed occurs when its displacement from the equilibrium position is:

A. At the maximum displacement
B. At the equilibrium position
C. At half of the maximum displacement
D. At any point during its motion

Answer 1

Under simple harmonic motion, an object achieves its maximum speed when it is at the equilibrium position, where it would rest naturally with no net force.

Step-by-step explanation:

An object under simple harmonic motion (SHM) experiences its maximum speed when its displacement from the equilibrium position is at the equilibrium position itself. In SHM, the equilibrium position is where the object would naturally rest if no net force were applied, and it is marked as x = 0.

This is when the spring is neither stretched nor compressed. The object reaches its maximum velocity as it passes through the equilibrium position because at this point, the entire energy of the system is kinetic, with no potential energy in the spring.

The maximum displacement from this point is known as the amplitude (A), and the object's speed decreases as it moves away from the equilibrium towards the points of maximum displacement where the speed is the minimum and potential energy is the maximum.