Harmonic potential
= Harmonic potential
{title2=$V(x)=\tfrac12kx^2$}
A quadratic <potential energy> about a stable <equilibrium>. In one dimension $k>0$ is the restoring stiffness and the <force> is $-dV/dx=-kx$. A <mass> $m$ undergoing undamped motion has <angular frequency> $\sqrt{k/m}$. A smooth potential with a nondegenerate local minimum is approximately harmonic for sufficiently small <displacements>; higher-order terms describe departures from <simple harmonic motion>.