Calculating Speed of an Oscillator The speed of an object in simple harmonic motion varies as it oscillates back and forth Its speed is the magnitude of its velocity The greatest speed of an oscill...
Acceleration & Displacement of an Oscillator The acceleration of an object oscillating in simple harmonic motion is: a = −⍵2x Where: a = acceleration (m s-2) ⍵ = angular frequency (rad s-1) x =...
Conditions for Simple Harmonic Motion Simple harmonic motion (SHM) is a specific type of oscillation SHM is defined as: A type of oscillation in which the acceleration of a body is proportional to ...
Describing Oscillations An oscillation is defined as: Repeated back and forth movements on either side of any equilibrium position When the object stops oscillating, it returns to its equilibrium p...
The First Law of Thermodynamics The first law of thermodynamics is based on the principle of conservation of energy When energy is put into a gas by heating it or doing work on it, its internal ene...
Work Done by a Gas When a gas expands, it does work on its surroundings by exerting pressure on the walls of the container it's in This is important, for example, in a steam engine where expanding ...
Defining Internal Energy Energy can generally be classified into two forms: kinetic or potential energy The molecules of all substances contain both kinetic and potential energies The amount of kin...
Average Kinetic Energy of a Molecule An important property of molecules in a gas is their average kinetic energy This can be deduced from the ideal gas equations relating pressure, volume, temperat...
Derivation of the Kinetic Theory of Gases Equation When molecules rebound from a wall in a container, the change in momentum gives rise to a force exerted by the particle on the wall Many molecules...
