It's hard to overstate how important the simple harmonic oscillator is in so many areas of physics. Almost every system is an oscillator near a stable equilibrium! Get the notes for free here: https://courses.physicswithelliot.com...

Of all the systems you'll study in your first physics class, the oscillations of a block attached to a spring are a subject you'll meet again and again throughout your physics education. The spring exerts a force on the block (sometimes called Hooke's law) that tries to push it back toward equilibrium, and the result is that the block oscillates around equilibrium in simple harmonic motion. But why is this simple system so prevalent throughout physics? The basic reason is that you can Taylor expand any potential energy function near a stable equilibrium point, and it will almost always look like the parabola of the simple harmonic oscillator potential energy!

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About physics help room videos:
These are intro-level physics videos aimed at students taking their first physics classes. In each video, I'll teach you the fundamentals of a particular physics topic you're likely to meet in your first classes on mechanics and electromagnetism.

About me:
I’m Dr. Elliot Schneider. I love physics, and I want to help others learn (and learn to love) physics, too. Whether you’re a beginner just starting out with your physics studies, a more advanced student, or a lifelong learner, I hope you’ll find resources here that enable you to deepen your understanding of the laws of nature. For more cool physics stuff, visit me at https://www.physicswithelliot.com.