Why can all solutions to the simple harmonic motion equation be written in terms of sines and cosines? [on...












10












$begingroup$


The defining property of SHM (simple harmonic motion) is that the force experienced at any value of displacement from the mean position is directly proportional to it and is directed towards the mean position, i.e. $F=-k(x)$.



From this,
$$mleft(frac{d^2x}{dt^2}right) +kx=0.$$



Then I read from this site




Let us interpret this equation. The second derivative of a function of x plus the function itself (times a constant) is equal to zero. Thus the second derivative of our function must have the same form as the function itself. What readily comes to mind is the sine and cosine function.




How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only? They do satisfy the equation, but why are they brought into the picture so directly? What I want to ask is: why can the SHM displacement, velocity etc. be expressed in terms of sin and cosine? I know the "SHM is the projection of uniform circular motion" proof, but an algebraic proof would be appreciated.










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put on hold as off-topic by Aaron Stevens, Gert, Jon Custer, descheleschilder, ZeroTheHero 2 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about physics within the scope defined in the help center.

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  • 5




    $begingroup$
    How many solutions $f$ are there to $f''=-lambda f$?
    $endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    14 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    I like to define the sine and cosine functions as exactly the solutions to this differential equation, just as the exponential function can be defined as the solution of $f' = lambda f$
    $endgroup$
    – TonioElGringo
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another function is $e^x$. Can that be written in terms of sine and cosine in $mathbb{R}$?
    $endgroup$
    – Peter A. Schneider
    11 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Aditya, do you know of any other functions that satisfy the differential equation AND are periodic in nature?
    $endgroup$
    – David White
    9 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @PeterA.Schneider If you take the second derivative of $e^x$, you just get $e^x$, and we need a negative sign. For that, we need $e^{pm ix}$.
    $endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    7 hours ago
















10












$begingroup$


The defining property of SHM (simple harmonic motion) is that the force experienced at any value of displacement from the mean position is directly proportional to it and is directed towards the mean position, i.e. $F=-k(x)$.



From this,
$$mleft(frac{d^2x}{dt^2}right) +kx=0.$$



Then I read from this site




Let us interpret this equation. The second derivative of a function of x plus the function itself (times a constant) is equal to zero. Thus the second derivative of our function must have the same form as the function itself. What readily comes to mind is the sine and cosine function.




How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only? They do satisfy the equation, but why are they brought into the picture so directly? What I want to ask is: why can the SHM displacement, velocity etc. be expressed in terms of sin and cosine? I know the "SHM is the projection of uniform circular motion" proof, but an algebraic proof would be appreciated.










share|cite|improve this question











$endgroup$



put on hold as off-topic by Aaron Stevens, Gert, Jon Custer, descheleschilder, ZeroTheHero 2 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about physics within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.












  • 5




    $begingroup$
    How many solutions $f$ are there to $f''=-lambda f$?
    $endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    14 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    I like to define the sine and cosine functions as exactly the solutions to this differential equation, just as the exponential function can be defined as the solution of $f' = lambda f$
    $endgroup$
    – TonioElGringo
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another function is $e^x$. Can that be written in terms of sine and cosine in $mathbb{R}$?
    $endgroup$
    – Peter A. Schneider
    11 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Aditya, do you know of any other functions that satisfy the differential equation AND are periodic in nature?
    $endgroup$
    – David White
    9 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @PeterA.Schneider If you take the second derivative of $e^x$, you just get $e^x$, and we need a negative sign. For that, we need $e^{pm ix}$.
    $endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    7 hours ago














10












10








10


2



$begingroup$


The defining property of SHM (simple harmonic motion) is that the force experienced at any value of displacement from the mean position is directly proportional to it and is directed towards the mean position, i.e. $F=-k(x)$.



From this,
$$mleft(frac{d^2x}{dt^2}right) +kx=0.$$



Then I read from this site




Let us interpret this equation. The second derivative of a function of x plus the function itself (times a constant) is equal to zero. Thus the second derivative of our function must have the same form as the function itself. What readily comes to mind is the sine and cosine function.




How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only? They do satisfy the equation, but why are they brought into the picture so directly? What I want to ask is: why can the SHM displacement, velocity etc. be expressed in terms of sin and cosine? I know the "SHM is the projection of uniform circular motion" proof, but an algebraic proof would be appreciated.










share|cite|improve this question











$endgroup$




The defining property of SHM (simple harmonic motion) is that the force experienced at any value of displacement from the mean position is directly proportional to it and is directed towards the mean position, i.e. $F=-k(x)$.



From this,
$$mleft(frac{d^2x}{dt^2}right) +kx=0.$$



Then I read from this site




Let us interpret this equation. The second derivative of a function of x plus the function itself (times a constant) is equal to zero. Thus the second derivative of our function must have the same form as the function itself. What readily comes to mind is the sine and cosine function.




How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only? They do satisfy the equation, but why are they brought into the picture so directly? What I want to ask is: why can the SHM displacement, velocity etc. be expressed in terms of sin and cosine? I know the "SHM is the projection of uniform circular motion" proof, but an algebraic proof would be appreciated.







newtonian-mechanics waves harmonic-oscillator spring differential-equations






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edited 7 hours ago









Qmechanic

105k121881202




105k121881202










asked 15 hours ago









ADITYA PRAKASHADITYA PRAKASH

997




997




put on hold as off-topic by Aaron Stevens, Gert, Jon Custer, descheleschilder, ZeroTheHero 2 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about physics within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.







put on hold as off-topic by Aaron Stevens, Gert, Jon Custer, descheleschilder, ZeroTheHero 2 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about physics within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 5




    $begingroup$
    How many solutions $f$ are there to $f''=-lambda f$?
    $endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    14 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    I like to define the sine and cosine functions as exactly the solutions to this differential equation, just as the exponential function can be defined as the solution of $f' = lambda f$
    $endgroup$
    – TonioElGringo
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another function is $e^x$. Can that be written in terms of sine and cosine in $mathbb{R}$?
    $endgroup$
    – Peter A. Schneider
    11 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Aditya, do you know of any other functions that satisfy the differential equation AND are periodic in nature?
    $endgroup$
    – David White
    9 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @PeterA.Schneider If you take the second derivative of $e^x$, you just get $e^x$, and we need a negative sign. For that, we need $e^{pm ix}$.
    $endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    7 hours ago














  • 5




    $begingroup$
    How many solutions $f$ are there to $f''=-lambda f$?
    $endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    14 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    I like to define the sine and cosine functions as exactly the solutions to this differential equation, just as the exponential function can be defined as the solution of $f' = lambda f$
    $endgroup$
    – TonioElGringo
    11 hours ago






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Another function is $e^x$. Can that be written in terms of sine and cosine in $mathbb{R}$?
    $endgroup$
    – Peter A. Schneider
    11 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Aditya, do you know of any other functions that satisfy the differential equation AND are periodic in nature?
    $endgroup$
    – David White
    9 hours ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    @PeterA.Schneider If you take the second derivative of $e^x$, you just get $e^x$, and we need a negative sign. For that, we need $e^{pm ix}$.
    $endgroup$
    – Acccumulation
    7 hours ago








5




5




$begingroup$
How many solutions $f$ are there to $f''=-lambda f$?
$endgroup$
– Kyle Kanos
14 hours ago




$begingroup$
How many solutions $f$ are there to $f''=-lambda f$?
$endgroup$
– Kyle Kanos
14 hours ago




2




2




$begingroup$
I like to define the sine and cosine functions as exactly the solutions to this differential equation, just as the exponential function can be defined as the solution of $f' = lambda f$
$endgroup$
– TonioElGringo
11 hours ago




$begingroup$
I like to define the sine and cosine functions as exactly the solutions to this differential equation, just as the exponential function can be defined as the solution of $f' = lambda f$
$endgroup$
– TonioElGringo
11 hours ago




1




1




$begingroup$
Another function is $e^x$. Can that be written in terms of sine and cosine in $mathbb{R}$?
$endgroup$
– Peter A. Schneider
11 hours ago






$begingroup$
Another function is $e^x$. Can that be written in terms of sine and cosine in $mathbb{R}$?
$endgroup$
– Peter A. Schneider
11 hours ago














$begingroup$
Aditya, do you know of any other functions that satisfy the differential equation AND are periodic in nature?
$endgroup$
– David White
9 hours ago




$begingroup$
Aditya, do you know of any other functions that satisfy the differential equation AND are periodic in nature?
$endgroup$
– David White
9 hours ago




2




2




$begingroup$
@PeterA.Schneider If you take the second derivative of $e^x$, you just get $e^x$, and we need a negative sign. For that, we need $e^{pm ix}$.
$endgroup$
– Acccumulation
7 hours ago




$begingroup$
@PeterA.Schneider If you take the second derivative of $e^x$, you just get $e^x$, and we need a negative sign. For that, we need $e^{pm ix}$.
$endgroup$
– Acccumulation
7 hours ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















23












$begingroup$

This follows from the uniqueness theorem for solutions of ordinary differential equations, which states that for a homogeneous linear ordinary differential equation of order $n$, there are at most $n$ linearly independent solutions.



The upshot of that is that if you have a second-order ODE (like, say, the one for the harmonic oscillator) and you can construct, through whatever means you can come up with, two linearly-independent solutions, then you're guaranteed that any solution of the equation will be a linear combination of your two solutions.



Thus, it doesn't matter at all how it is that you come to the proposal of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$ as prospective solutions: all you need to do is




  1. verify that they are solutions, i.e. just plug them into the derivatives and see if the result is identically zero; and

  2. check that they're linearly independent.


Once you do that, the details of how you built your solutions become completely irrelevant. Because of this, I (and many others) generally refer to this as the Method of Divine Inspiration: I can just tell you that the solution came to me in a dream, handed over by a flying mass of spaghetti, and $-$ no matter how contrived or elaborate the solution looks $-$ if it passes the two criteria above, the fact that it is the solution is bulletproof, and no further explanation of how it was built is required.



If this framework is unclear or unfamiliar, then you should sit down with an introductory textbook on differential equations. There's a substantial bit of background that makes this sort of thing clearer, and which simply doesn't fit within this site's format.






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  • $begingroup$
    There were some comments that were not terribly relevant to the post and looked like they might be spawning a discussion; I've moved them to chat in case people would like to continue there.
    $endgroup$
    – David Z
    2 hours ago





















8












$begingroup$


How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only




It's literally just a guess. Those're obvious solutions which can be verified easily, and when they're such straightforward functions, you'll soon just be able to notice them. It's the like when you have an equation like $f'(x)=Ktimes f(x)$, you just see that the solutions are exponentials. After that, you know that for a differential equation like $f^{(n)}(x)=Kf(x)$ you can have upto $n$ solutions, so you aren't missing anything when you consider the sine and cosine.



It's a nice idea to not waste time/effort/space formally solving such equations when the solutions are canonical.






share|cite|improve this answer











$endgroup$





















    4












    $begingroup$

    These are all good and correct answers, but I will answer from a different perspective.



    Any linear-differential equation of degree $n$ has $n$ linearly independent solutions, ie. these $n$ solutions span a vector space, with sets of solutions forming a basis.



    For simple harmonic motion, the differential equation is:



    $$m(dfrac{d^2x}{dt^2})+kx = 0$$



    As stated in other answers, one can take the solutions to be linear combinations of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$, or one could take $exp(iomega t)$ and $exp(-iomega t)$. These are both sets of linearly independent functions, and both pairs solve the equation, yet they are not the same functions - they are two different sets of basis functions.



    To get from one set of solution to another, one needs to change the basis.






    share|cite|improve this answer










    New contributor




    user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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    • 1




      $begingroup$
      I hope you do not mind that I removed a few spelling mistakes and streamlined some of your phrases.
      $endgroup$
      – flaudemus
      4 hours ago










    • $begingroup$
      Thank you for the edit @flaudemus.
      $endgroup$
      – user458276
      4 hours ago



















    1












    $begingroup$

    One way of deriving it is using Taylor series (although to be fully rigorous, this requires further justification for restricting to analytic functions). We have that $f(x) = sum a_n x^t$, so $f''(t)=sum (n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2}t^n$. If $f''(t)=-frac k m f(t)$, then $(n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2} = -frac k m a_n$, so $a_{n+2} = frac {-k a_n}{(n+1)(n+2)m}$. So $a_0$ determines $a_2$, which determines $a_4$, etc., and $a_1$ determines $a_3$ which determines $a_5$, and so on. Since all of the even terms vary linearly based on the 0th term, and don't depend on the odd terms, and vice versa for the odd terms, we can find a solution $f_0$ by taking $a_0=1, a_1=0$ and $f_1$ from $a_0=0, a_1=1$, and all solutions will be a linear combination of $f_0$ and $f_1$. And if you work out what those solutions are, they correspond to cosine and sine, respectively.



    You can also get to sine and cosine by taking $f(t)=e^{at}$. Then $f''(t)=a^2e^{at}$, so if $f'' = -frac km f$, then $a^2= -frac km$. This leads to the two solutions $a = pm isqrt{frac km}$. Neither root gives a real solution, but $f(x) = frac 12 (e^{ct} + e^{-ct})$ and $f(x) = frac 1{2i} (e^{ct} - e^{-ct})$, where $c = isqrt{frac km}$, do. Those correspond to cosine and sine.






    share|cite|improve this answer









    $endgroup$




















      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes








      4 Answers
      4






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      23












      $begingroup$

      This follows from the uniqueness theorem for solutions of ordinary differential equations, which states that for a homogeneous linear ordinary differential equation of order $n$, there are at most $n$ linearly independent solutions.



      The upshot of that is that if you have a second-order ODE (like, say, the one for the harmonic oscillator) and you can construct, through whatever means you can come up with, two linearly-independent solutions, then you're guaranteed that any solution of the equation will be a linear combination of your two solutions.



      Thus, it doesn't matter at all how it is that you come to the proposal of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$ as prospective solutions: all you need to do is




      1. verify that they are solutions, i.e. just plug them into the derivatives and see if the result is identically zero; and

      2. check that they're linearly independent.


      Once you do that, the details of how you built your solutions become completely irrelevant. Because of this, I (and many others) generally refer to this as the Method of Divine Inspiration: I can just tell you that the solution came to me in a dream, handed over by a flying mass of spaghetti, and $-$ no matter how contrived or elaborate the solution looks $-$ if it passes the two criteria above, the fact that it is the solution is bulletproof, and no further explanation of how it was built is required.



      If this framework is unclear or unfamiliar, then you should sit down with an introductory textbook on differential equations. There's a substantial bit of background that makes this sort of thing clearer, and which simply doesn't fit within this site's format.






      share|cite|improve this answer











      $endgroup$













      • $begingroup$
        There were some comments that were not terribly relevant to the post and looked like they might be spawning a discussion; I've moved them to chat in case people would like to continue there.
        $endgroup$
        – David Z
        2 hours ago


















      23












      $begingroup$

      This follows from the uniqueness theorem for solutions of ordinary differential equations, which states that for a homogeneous linear ordinary differential equation of order $n$, there are at most $n$ linearly independent solutions.



      The upshot of that is that if you have a second-order ODE (like, say, the one for the harmonic oscillator) and you can construct, through whatever means you can come up with, two linearly-independent solutions, then you're guaranteed that any solution of the equation will be a linear combination of your two solutions.



      Thus, it doesn't matter at all how it is that you come to the proposal of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$ as prospective solutions: all you need to do is




      1. verify that they are solutions, i.e. just plug them into the derivatives and see if the result is identically zero; and

      2. check that they're linearly independent.


      Once you do that, the details of how you built your solutions become completely irrelevant. Because of this, I (and many others) generally refer to this as the Method of Divine Inspiration: I can just tell you that the solution came to me in a dream, handed over by a flying mass of spaghetti, and $-$ no matter how contrived or elaborate the solution looks $-$ if it passes the two criteria above, the fact that it is the solution is bulletproof, and no further explanation of how it was built is required.



      If this framework is unclear or unfamiliar, then you should sit down with an introductory textbook on differential equations. There's a substantial bit of background that makes this sort of thing clearer, and which simply doesn't fit within this site's format.






      share|cite|improve this answer











      $endgroup$













      • $begingroup$
        There were some comments that were not terribly relevant to the post and looked like they might be spawning a discussion; I've moved them to chat in case people would like to continue there.
        $endgroup$
        – David Z
        2 hours ago
















      23












      23








      23





      $begingroup$

      This follows from the uniqueness theorem for solutions of ordinary differential equations, which states that for a homogeneous linear ordinary differential equation of order $n$, there are at most $n$ linearly independent solutions.



      The upshot of that is that if you have a second-order ODE (like, say, the one for the harmonic oscillator) and you can construct, through whatever means you can come up with, two linearly-independent solutions, then you're guaranteed that any solution of the equation will be a linear combination of your two solutions.



      Thus, it doesn't matter at all how it is that you come to the proposal of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$ as prospective solutions: all you need to do is




      1. verify that they are solutions, i.e. just plug them into the derivatives and see if the result is identically zero; and

      2. check that they're linearly independent.


      Once you do that, the details of how you built your solutions become completely irrelevant. Because of this, I (and many others) generally refer to this as the Method of Divine Inspiration: I can just tell you that the solution came to me in a dream, handed over by a flying mass of spaghetti, and $-$ no matter how contrived or elaborate the solution looks $-$ if it passes the two criteria above, the fact that it is the solution is bulletproof, and no further explanation of how it was built is required.



      If this framework is unclear or unfamiliar, then you should sit down with an introductory textbook on differential equations. There's a substantial bit of background that makes this sort of thing clearer, and which simply doesn't fit within this site's format.






      share|cite|improve this answer











      $endgroup$



      This follows from the uniqueness theorem for solutions of ordinary differential equations, which states that for a homogeneous linear ordinary differential equation of order $n$, there are at most $n$ linearly independent solutions.



      The upshot of that is that if you have a second-order ODE (like, say, the one for the harmonic oscillator) and you can construct, through whatever means you can come up with, two linearly-independent solutions, then you're guaranteed that any solution of the equation will be a linear combination of your two solutions.



      Thus, it doesn't matter at all how it is that you come to the proposal of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$ as prospective solutions: all you need to do is




      1. verify that they are solutions, i.e. just plug them into the derivatives and see if the result is identically zero; and

      2. check that they're linearly independent.


      Once you do that, the details of how you built your solutions become completely irrelevant. Because of this, I (and many others) generally refer to this as the Method of Divine Inspiration: I can just tell you that the solution came to me in a dream, handed over by a flying mass of spaghetti, and $-$ no matter how contrived or elaborate the solution looks $-$ if it passes the two criteria above, the fact that it is the solution is bulletproof, and no further explanation of how it was built is required.



      If this framework is unclear or unfamiliar, then you should sit down with an introductory textbook on differential equations. There's a substantial bit of background that makes this sort of thing clearer, and which simply doesn't fit within this site's format.







      share|cite|improve this answer














      share|cite|improve this answer



      share|cite|improve this answer








      edited 14 hours ago

























      answered 14 hours ago









      Emilio PisantyEmilio Pisanty

      83.5k22206421




      83.5k22206421












      • $begingroup$
        There were some comments that were not terribly relevant to the post and looked like they might be spawning a discussion; I've moved them to chat in case people would like to continue there.
        $endgroup$
        – David Z
        2 hours ago




















      • $begingroup$
        There were some comments that were not terribly relevant to the post and looked like they might be spawning a discussion; I've moved them to chat in case people would like to continue there.
        $endgroup$
        – David Z
        2 hours ago


















      $begingroup$
      There were some comments that were not terribly relevant to the post and looked like they might be spawning a discussion; I've moved them to chat in case people would like to continue there.
      $endgroup$
      – David Z
      2 hours ago






      $begingroup$
      There were some comments that were not terribly relevant to the post and looked like they might be spawning a discussion; I've moved them to chat in case people would like to continue there.
      $endgroup$
      – David Z
      2 hours ago













      8












      $begingroup$


      How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only




      It's literally just a guess. Those're obvious solutions which can be verified easily, and when they're such straightforward functions, you'll soon just be able to notice them. It's the like when you have an equation like $f'(x)=Ktimes f(x)$, you just see that the solutions are exponentials. After that, you know that for a differential equation like $f^{(n)}(x)=Kf(x)$ you can have upto $n$ solutions, so you aren't missing anything when you consider the sine and cosine.



      It's a nice idea to not waste time/effort/space formally solving such equations when the solutions are canonical.






      share|cite|improve this answer











      $endgroup$


















        8












        $begingroup$


        How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only




        It's literally just a guess. Those're obvious solutions which can be verified easily, and when they're such straightforward functions, you'll soon just be able to notice them. It's the like when you have an equation like $f'(x)=Ktimes f(x)$, you just see that the solutions are exponentials. After that, you know that for a differential equation like $f^{(n)}(x)=Kf(x)$ you can have upto $n$ solutions, so you aren't missing anything when you consider the sine and cosine.



        It's a nice idea to not waste time/effort/space formally solving such equations when the solutions are canonical.






        share|cite|improve this answer











        $endgroup$
















          8












          8








          8





          $begingroup$


          How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only




          It's literally just a guess. Those're obvious solutions which can be verified easily, and when they're such straightforward functions, you'll soon just be able to notice them. It's the like when you have an equation like $f'(x)=Ktimes f(x)$, you just see that the solutions are exponentials. After that, you know that for a differential equation like $f^{(n)}(x)=Kf(x)$ you can have upto $n$ solutions, so you aren't missing anything when you consider the sine and cosine.



          It's a nice idea to not waste time/effort/space formally solving such equations when the solutions are canonical.






          share|cite|improve this answer











          $endgroup$




          How can we assume so plainly that it should be sin or cosine only




          It's literally just a guess. Those're obvious solutions which can be verified easily, and when they're such straightforward functions, you'll soon just be able to notice them. It's the like when you have an equation like $f'(x)=Ktimes f(x)$, you just see that the solutions are exponentials. After that, you know that for a differential equation like $f^{(n)}(x)=Kf(x)$ you can have upto $n$ solutions, so you aren't missing anything when you consider the sine and cosine.



          It's a nice idea to not waste time/effort/space formally solving such equations when the solutions are canonical.







          share|cite|improve this answer














          share|cite|improve this answer



          share|cite|improve this answer








          edited 14 hours ago

























          answered 14 hours ago









          ChairChair

          4,32472137




          4,32472137























              4












              $begingroup$

              These are all good and correct answers, but I will answer from a different perspective.



              Any linear-differential equation of degree $n$ has $n$ linearly independent solutions, ie. these $n$ solutions span a vector space, with sets of solutions forming a basis.



              For simple harmonic motion, the differential equation is:



              $$m(dfrac{d^2x}{dt^2})+kx = 0$$



              As stated in other answers, one can take the solutions to be linear combinations of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$, or one could take $exp(iomega t)$ and $exp(-iomega t)$. These are both sets of linearly independent functions, and both pairs solve the equation, yet they are not the same functions - they are two different sets of basis functions.



              To get from one set of solution to another, one needs to change the basis.






              share|cite|improve this answer










              New contributor




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              • 1




                $begingroup$
                I hope you do not mind that I removed a few spelling mistakes and streamlined some of your phrases.
                $endgroup$
                – flaudemus
                4 hours ago










              • $begingroup$
                Thank you for the edit @flaudemus.
                $endgroup$
                – user458276
                4 hours ago
















              4












              $begingroup$

              These are all good and correct answers, but I will answer from a different perspective.



              Any linear-differential equation of degree $n$ has $n$ linearly independent solutions, ie. these $n$ solutions span a vector space, with sets of solutions forming a basis.



              For simple harmonic motion, the differential equation is:



              $$m(dfrac{d^2x}{dt^2})+kx = 0$$



              As stated in other answers, one can take the solutions to be linear combinations of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$, or one could take $exp(iomega t)$ and $exp(-iomega t)$. These are both sets of linearly independent functions, and both pairs solve the equation, yet they are not the same functions - they are two different sets of basis functions.



              To get from one set of solution to another, one needs to change the basis.






              share|cite|improve this answer










              New contributor




              user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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              $endgroup$









              • 1




                $begingroup$
                I hope you do not mind that I removed a few spelling mistakes and streamlined some of your phrases.
                $endgroup$
                – flaudemus
                4 hours ago










              • $begingroup$
                Thank you for the edit @flaudemus.
                $endgroup$
                – user458276
                4 hours ago














              4












              4








              4





              $begingroup$

              These are all good and correct answers, but I will answer from a different perspective.



              Any linear-differential equation of degree $n$ has $n$ linearly independent solutions, ie. these $n$ solutions span a vector space, with sets of solutions forming a basis.



              For simple harmonic motion, the differential equation is:



              $$m(dfrac{d^2x}{dt^2})+kx = 0$$



              As stated in other answers, one can take the solutions to be linear combinations of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$, or one could take $exp(iomega t)$ and $exp(-iomega t)$. These are both sets of linearly independent functions, and both pairs solve the equation, yet they are not the same functions - they are two different sets of basis functions.



              To get from one set of solution to another, one needs to change the basis.






              share|cite|improve this answer










              New contributor




              user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.






              $endgroup$



              These are all good and correct answers, but I will answer from a different perspective.



              Any linear-differential equation of degree $n$ has $n$ linearly independent solutions, ie. these $n$ solutions span a vector space, with sets of solutions forming a basis.



              For simple harmonic motion, the differential equation is:



              $$m(dfrac{d^2x}{dt^2})+kx = 0$$



              As stated in other answers, one can take the solutions to be linear combinations of $sin(omega t)$ and $cos(omega t)$, or one could take $exp(iomega t)$ and $exp(-iomega t)$. These are both sets of linearly independent functions, and both pairs solve the equation, yet they are not the same functions - they are two different sets of basis functions.



              To get from one set of solution to another, one needs to change the basis.







              share|cite|improve this answer










              New contributor




              user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.









              share|cite|improve this answer



              share|cite|improve this answer








              edited 4 hours ago









              flaudemus

              81512




              81512






              New contributor




              user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.









              answered 7 hours ago









              user458276user458276

              1413




              1413




              New contributor




              user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.





              New contributor





              user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.






              user458276 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.








              • 1




                $begingroup$
                I hope you do not mind that I removed a few spelling mistakes and streamlined some of your phrases.
                $endgroup$
                – flaudemus
                4 hours ago










              • $begingroup$
                Thank you for the edit @flaudemus.
                $endgroup$
                – user458276
                4 hours ago














              • 1




                $begingroup$
                I hope you do not mind that I removed a few spelling mistakes and streamlined some of your phrases.
                $endgroup$
                – flaudemus
                4 hours ago










              • $begingroup$
                Thank you for the edit @flaudemus.
                $endgroup$
                – user458276
                4 hours ago








              1




              1




              $begingroup$
              I hope you do not mind that I removed a few spelling mistakes and streamlined some of your phrases.
              $endgroup$
              – flaudemus
              4 hours ago




              $begingroup$
              I hope you do not mind that I removed a few spelling mistakes and streamlined some of your phrases.
              $endgroup$
              – flaudemus
              4 hours ago












              $begingroup$
              Thank you for the edit @flaudemus.
              $endgroup$
              – user458276
              4 hours ago




              $begingroup$
              Thank you for the edit @flaudemus.
              $endgroup$
              – user458276
              4 hours ago











              1












              $begingroup$

              One way of deriving it is using Taylor series (although to be fully rigorous, this requires further justification for restricting to analytic functions). We have that $f(x) = sum a_n x^t$, so $f''(t)=sum (n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2}t^n$. If $f''(t)=-frac k m f(t)$, then $(n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2} = -frac k m a_n$, so $a_{n+2} = frac {-k a_n}{(n+1)(n+2)m}$. So $a_0$ determines $a_2$, which determines $a_4$, etc., and $a_1$ determines $a_3$ which determines $a_5$, and so on. Since all of the even terms vary linearly based on the 0th term, and don't depend on the odd terms, and vice versa for the odd terms, we can find a solution $f_0$ by taking $a_0=1, a_1=0$ and $f_1$ from $a_0=0, a_1=1$, and all solutions will be a linear combination of $f_0$ and $f_1$. And if you work out what those solutions are, they correspond to cosine and sine, respectively.



              You can also get to sine and cosine by taking $f(t)=e^{at}$. Then $f''(t)=a^2e^{at}$, so if $f'' = -frac km f$, then $a^2= -frac km$. This leads to the two solutions $a = pm isqrt{frac km}$. Neither root gives a real solution, but $f(x) = frac 12 (e^{ct} + e^{-ct})$ and $f(x) = frac 1{2i} (e^{ct} - e^{-ct})$, where $c = isqrt{frac km}$, do. Those correspond to cosine and sine.






              share|cite|improve this answer









              $endgroup$


















                1












                $begingroup$

                One way of deriving it is using Taylor series (although to be fully rigorous, this requires further justification for restricting to analytic functions). We have that $f(x) = sum a_n x^t$, so $f''(t)=sum (n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2}t^n$. If $f''(t)=-frac k m f(t)$, then $(n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2} = -frac k m a_n$, so $a_{n+2} = frac {-k a_n}{(n+1)(n+2)m}$. So $a_0$ determines $a_2$, which determines $a_4$, etc., and $a_1$ determines $a_3$ which determines $a_5$, and so on. Since all of the even terms vary linearly based on the 0th term, and don't depend on the odd terms, and vice versa for the odd terms, we can find a solution $f_0$ by taking $a_0=1, a_1=0$ and $f_1$ from $a_0=0, a_1=1$, and all solutions will be a linear combination of $f_0$ and $f_1$. And if you work out what those solutions are, they correspond to cosine and sine, respectively.



                You can also get to sine and cosine by taking $f(t)=e^{at}$. Then $f''(t)=a^2e^{at}$, so if $f'' = -frac km f$, then $a^2= -frac km$. This leads to the two solutions $a = pm isqrt{frac km}$. Neither root gives a real solution, but $f(x) = frac 12 (e^{ct} + e^{-ct})$ and $f(x) = frac 1{2i} (e^{ct} - e^{-ct})$, where $c = isqrt{frac km}$, do. Those correspond to cosine and sine.






                share|cite|improve this answer









                $endgroup$
















                  1












                  1








                  1





                  $begingroup$

                  One way of deriving it is using Taylor series (although to be fully rigorous, this requires further justification for restricting to analytic functions). We have that $f(x) = sum a_n x^t$, so $f''(t)=sum (n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2}t^n$. If $f''(t)=-frac k m f(t)$, then $(n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2} = -frac k m a_n$, so $a_{n+2} = frac {-k a_n}{(n+1)(n+2)m}$. So $a_0$ determines $a_2$, which determines $a_4$, etc., and $a_1$ determines $a_3$ which determines $a_5$, and so on. Since all of the even terms vary linearly based on the 0th term, and don't depend on the odd terms, and vice versa for the odd terms, we can find a solution $f_0$ by taking $a_0=1, a_1=0$ and $f_1$ from $a_0=0, a_1=1$, and all solutions will be a linear combination of $f_0$ and $f_1$. And if you work out what those solutions are, they correspond to cosine and sine, respectively.



                  You can also get to sine and cosine by taking $f(t)=e^{at}$. Then $f''(t)=a^2e^{at}$, so if $f'' = -frac km f$, then $a^2= -frac km$. This leads to the two solutions $a = pm isqrt{frac km}$. Neither root gives a real solution, but $f(x) = frac 12 (e^{ct} + e^{-ct})$ and $f(x) = frac 1{2i} (e^{ct} - e^{-ct})$, where $c = isqrt{frac km}$, do. Those correspond to cosine and sine.






                  share|cite|improve this answer









                  $endgroup$



                  One way of deriving it is using Taylor series (although to be fully rigorous, this requires further justification for restricting to analytic functions). We have that $f(x) = sum a_n x^t$, so $f''(t)=sum (n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2}t^n$. If $f''(t)=-frac k m f(t)$, then $(n+1)(n+2)a_{n+2} = -frac k m a_n$, so $a_{n+2} = frac {-k a_n}{(n+1)(n+2)m}$. So $a_0$ determines $a_2$, which determines $a_4$, etc., and $a_1$ determines $a_3$ which determines $a_5$, and so on. Since all of the even terms vary linearly based on the 0th term, and don't depend on the odd terms, and vice versa for the odd terms, we can find a solution $f_0$ by taking $a_0=1, a_1=0$ and $f_1$ from $a_0=0, a_1=1$, and all solutions will be a linear combination of $f_0$ and $f_1$. And if you work out what those solutions are, they correspond to cosine and sine, respectively.



                  You can also get to sine and cosine by taking $f(t)=e^{at}$. Then $f''(t)=a^2e^{at}$, so if $f'' = -frac km f$, then $a^2= -frac km$. This leads to the two solutions $a = pm isqrt{frac km}$. Neither root gives a real solution, but $f(x) = frac 12 (e^{ct} + e^{-ct})$ and $f(x) = frac 1{2i} (e^{ct} - e^{-ct})$, where $c = isqrt{frac km}$, do. Those correspond to cosine and sine.







                  share|cite|improve this answer












                  share|cite|improve this answer



                  share|cite|improve this answer










                  answered 7 hours ago









                  AcccumulationAcccumulation

                  2,506312




                  2,506312















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