Movies illustrating motion in one dimension

Vertical motion near earth's surface Position, velocity and acceleration This movie shows graphs of position, velocity and acceleration versus time for a body dropped from rest near earth's surface. The body is shown as a red triangle on the vertical axis.

Vertical motion near earth's surface Position, velocity and acceleration This movie shows graphs of position, velocity and acceleration versus time for a body tossed straight up near earth's surface. The body is shown as a red triangle on the vertical axis.

The simple harmonic oscillator This movie shows a body attached to a spring oscillating back and forth.

The simple harmonic oscillator Position, velocity and acceleration This movie shows graphs of position, velocity and acceleration versus time for a body oscillating back and forth. The body is shown as a red triangle on the vertical axis.

The simple harmonic oscillator Independence of period on amplitude This movie shows identical simple harmonic oscillators moving with different amplitudes. Their periods are the same.

The simple pendulum Dependence of period on amplitude This movie shows identical simple pendula moving with different amplitudes. Their periods are different.

Chaos in the driven pendulum A more advanced topic These movies compare two different kinds of motion of a simple pendulum whose point of attachment oscillates vertically: regular motion chaotic motion.

The damped harmonic oscillator Comparison of damping strengths This movie compares underdamped, critically damped, and overdamped harmonic oscillators released from rest. The critically damped one approaches equilibrium fastest.

Coupled oscillations Two coupled simple harmonic oscillators These movies show the higher frequency ("in and out") normalmode the lower frequency ("back and forth") normal mode a general motion (not periodic)

Coupled oscillations Three coupled simple harmonic oscillators These movies show the three normal modes: highest frequency middle frequency lowest frequency

Energy Exchange of kinetic and potential energies This movie plots the kinetic, potential, and total energies versus distance from equilibrium for a simple harmonic oscillator.

A body falling in earth's gravitational field A more advanced topic This movie plots the vertical coordinate versus time for a body dropped from rest in earth's gravitational field. The variation of gravity with height is accounted for. The path is the same as a point on the surface of the rolling circle (a cycloid).