ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to investigate a particularly straightforward type of motion known as
simple harmonic oscillation, and also to introduce the differential equation that governs suchmotion,
which is known as the simple harmonic oscillator equation. We shall discover that simple harmonic
oscillation always involves a back and forth flow of energy between two different energy types, with
the total energy remaining constant in time. We shall also learn that the linear nature of the simple
harmonic oscillator equation greatly facilitates its solution. In this chapter, examples are drawn from
simple mechanical and electrical systems.
