Simple Harmonic Motion

[Hair Care By Billy]

Well this was a real shock – Simple Harmonic Motion contained within a programme on R4 last night that wasn’t about V-neck pullover science! I think the continuity announcer mentioned that the programme was bought in from Europe, so this probably explains it. Not even a hint of an extract from Dark Side Of The Moon, Clocks, Time (clock of the heart)…….

The day must be getting closer when we hear the Woman’s Hour team presenting a feature on how they changed their own cambelts.

P.S. I wonder if WH could give us an update sometime on how they’re all getting on with their adjustable high-heels. Did they wear them at Christmas parties and at what height?

[Crusoe]

I have to admit that when I was first taught about simple harmonic motion, I found it anything but simple: I seem to recall having to derive things using polar co-ordinates, which I really didn’t enjoy. Having gone to the trouble, though it is very pleasing to hear that someone has mentioned it on R4 .

Hair said:

The day must be getting closer when we hear the Woman’s Hour team presenting a feature on how they changed their own cambelts.

I love your optimism, L. I think that this is a long way off. Hee hee.

[Lux Interior]

Hair said:

The day must be getting closer when we hear the Woman’s Hour team presenting a feature on how they changed their own cambelts.

I love your optimism, L. I think that this is a long way off. Hee hee.

[/quote]

Can I join in and tell them how I changed my own sprockets and little ends?

Frankly I don't think they're interested: this kind of stuff is only of interest to adolescents and people who deliberately take evening classes in vehicle maintenance.

I'd be much more interested to hear about women's cricket.

[Hair Care By Billy]

webb said:

I have to admit that when I was first taught about simple harmonic motion, I found it anything but simple

Same here Crusoe which is why I took up hairdressing. I couldn't really grasp the concept of a phase constant when I was very young:

x(t) = x0 + Acos(wt+ phase constant).

Also I hadn't studied differential equations which would have made understanding it easier.

Years ago, lecturers in heavy elcetrical engineering used to refer to phasors (as in temporal sinusoidal variations) as 'Vectors' and that could be very confusing.

I seem to recall having to derive things using polar co-ordinates, which I really didn’t enjoy. Having gone to the trouble, though it is very pleasing to hear that someone has mentioned it on R4 .

I remember using polar coordinates when introduced to the conical pendulum, but I don't recall being actually informed by a teacher about different coordinate systems - as in rectangular, polar and spherical. Again, this would have been helpful when it came to understanding Gauss's Law and the wave equation.

Hair said:

The day must be getting closer when we hear the Woman’s Hour team presenting a feature on how they changed their own cambelts.

I love your optimism, L. I think that this is a long way off. Hee hee.

Well manufacturing jobs are vanishing at the rate of 8000/month, so they might be left without any option when all the garages have closed.

[Hair Care By Billy]

P.S. They only mentioned the exchange between kinetic and potential energy in this programme

[Lawrence Jones]

Lux said:

Can I join in and tell them how I changed my own sprockets and little ends?

Yes this would be interersting, since I suspect a female would tackle these jobs in a different manner to that of a male.

Frankly I don't think they're interested: this kind of stuff is only of interest to adolescents and people who deliberately take evening classes in vehicle maintenance.

So, I wonder, why was it that in the 50's, it was quite common to hear women on WH speaking about their experiences of carrying out overhauls on military vehicles and repairing cars if they broke down? I can also recall an edition of WH (late 50's/early 60's) when they advised on how to heat your home efficiently. Doesn't the brand of feminism that WH promotes care about limited energy resources and the $65 oil barrel? Women should be leading the way over issues such as this.

I'd be much more interested to hear about women's cricket.

I find watching or listening to cricket very relaxing, so I'd probably doze off. Incidentally, I thought Rachael Heyhoe-Flint was a great choice as a presenter of PM - very imaginative choice. The uniformity that predominates within R4 these days would forbid such things now.