Physics - Periodic Motion - High School and AP Physics

This course is one of several Mousseau Physics courses designed for students in high school physics, AP Physics, and introductory college physics. In this course we focus on periodic motion and simple harmonic motion. Students will study oscillations, period, frequency, amplitude, springs, pendulums, Hooke's law, energy in oscillating systems, resonance, and the relationships between periodic motion and wave behavior.

The videos and resources include clear lectures, demonstrations, diagrams, and worked out example problems. Students will practice identifying periodic motion, using the correct equations for springs and pendulums, connecting graphs to motion, and explaining how energy changes form during an oscillation. The goal is to make oscillatory motion feel like a coherent topic instead of a collection of separate formulas.

This course is a strong fit for high school physics students, AP Physics students, and introductory algebra based college physics students. It does not require calculus. Students can use it as a full unit, a supplement to class, or a review before moving into waves, sound, and resonance.

By the end of the course, students should be more confident analyzing springs, pendulums, and simple harmonic motion, interpreting periodic motion graphs, explaining resonance, and recognizing how oscillations connect to later topics in mechanics and wave physics.

Students can work straight through the course as a full unit or use individual lessons as targeted support alongside a class. The videos are built to be paused, rewound, and practiced with pencil and paper, so the course works well for homework help, test review, exam preparation, or rebuilding a topic that did not fully click the first time.