Definition:Simple Harmonic Motion/Initial Phase

Definition

Consider a physical system $S$ in a state of simple harmonic motion:

$x = A \map \sin {\omega t + \phi}$

The parameter $\phi$ is known as the initial phase of the motion.

Also known as

The initial phase of a simple harmonic motion is also known as its phase angle.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): harmonic motion
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): harmonic motion