A thousand thanks.
The mathematical equation governing a simple harmonic motion was one of my pet subjects in physics when I studied A Level Physics at the Singapore Polytechnic in 1958 – 1960 after I completed my Senior Cambridge in Johore. I was really fascinated by this harmonic motion in dynamics.
It was then just pure physics and mathematics which happened to be my favourite subjects, and nothing more.
A few years later I read for a degree in human physiology, but without the harmonic motion as part of the physiology syllabus.
Never have I dreamt that, years later into the future - just 5 minutes ago on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 6:34 p.m. when I opened this mail, I found what I studied previously were incomplete and obsolete.
I now have to deal with the understanding of the biophysics of a harmonic motion as well. The Internet and chain e-mails are absolutely amazing.
Thanks anyway. I shall pass this new syllabus round to the professors, physicists, engineers, medical doctors, biophysicists, mathematicians, bio-physiologists, planetary scientists on the dynamics of motions, medical students, etc for them to crack their heads on how to harmonize this equation
Amazing Bio-Physics! Fascinating!
jbl
A patient currently with vertigo and tinnitus
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On Sun, Oct 17, 2010 at 4:20 AM, P Tan
Dear Dr Lim,
Humble apology
I must sincerely apologise for forwarding to you such infectious SHM videos that causes some distress, vertigo plus tinnitus without giving a pre warning statement that viewing those videos with no proper parental guidance can seriously affect your health.
But rest assured, the underlying principles and formulae of SHM is still the same, yesterday , today and tommorrow. The only difference is the presentations and illustrations of SHM are by videos clips whereas in our time, it was shown by a physic teacher using a lead plumb bob attached to the end of a string. Nothing exciting. Simple and harmonic. Lads these days are luckier with these exciting videos.
Of Impulse and Newton's Law of Motion
Your IMmediate reaction and write up of SHM was in deed extremely IMPULSIVE (I) and must have used up a lot of brain Force (F) within split Seconds (t). That immediate reaction subconsciously reflects and verify Newton's Third Law of Motion which simply states that :For ever action, there is an equal but opposite reaction.
Your close scrutiny and deep focusing on the SHM video clips attached must have indeed, become a cause of alarm, and the resulting effect, can be easily diagnosed as cause by the sensitivity of both your iris synchronising with the SHM of the breasts shown even though your body was completely at rest albeit yr fingers and brains. The visual signals your retina detected and received were transmitted to your brains which resonanced an immediate response that is equal and opposite in reactions (Newton's 3rd Law). Hence giving rise to your both your middle ears suffering an imbalance caused by the SHM vibrations which is the actual cause of your Vertigo and to some extend, Tinnitus.
It is very rare for a person viewing those videos which has circumnavigated the internet world, to suffer both acute Vertigo and Tinnitus. As such, it only implies that , Dr Lim, you are highly sensitive to SHM related to female joggers especially where the breast is concerned--- thus following Newton's second law of motion: A body exists in a state of rest unless an external force is apply to it. At the instance of viewing the videos, your body was at rest and the external force must be where the breasts are concerned!
Normally, some medications like Niacin, paracetemol and antibiotics will help to relieve partial symptoms of vertigo and tinnitus caused by ear infection. But in yr case, the vertigo and tinnitus were caused by video effects therefore no medications will help. Minyak Angin Cap Kapak may help to relieve. Beware of side effects cause by western medication.
If the symptoms persist, the only obvious solution, is click the delete button and the symptoms will go away in a few days. Do not retrieve from the recycle bin as second attack will lead to further damages that may eventually affect the Central Nervous System.
Extreme caution :REPEATED viewing of those SMH videos may lead to more severe vertigo and tinnitus. The prognosis of vertigo and tinnitus depends on the amount of damage done to the CNS. Vertigo caused by a brain lesion may need emergency evaluation, in which case, please refer yourself to a neurologist and/or neurosurgeon for further diagnosis and management.
Further talking point: Simple Harmonic Motion is not Simple anymore. Its no more a simple case of swinging the pendulum bob where the periodic Time can be measured by a simple lab experiment in HSBP=High School Batu Pahat.
It has penetrated and diversed into many fields such as management, politics, and even how to make a woman happy.
A quick glance at my handfone shows that it is oredi 420 am, 17 October, 2010 and i shall pen no more.. I have spent so much time pening in the wee hours of the night and i hope to get an acknowlegment from you.
thank you.
wiseniteowl
"sound advice: 99% sound, 1 % advice"
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My dear Engineer Perry and junior school-mate at Batu Pahat High School,
My profession in the art and science of healing, the relief of pain and human suffering, in health care, nutrition, a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, and in medical research is entirely the opposite yours. Your profession is highly mechanical, stiff and rigid, mathematical with no room for compassion for human life in the event of mistakes.
Difficult to understand:
Therefore it is very difficult for me to understand the logic of your response to my simple comment on Simple Harmonic Motion which I learnt when I was studying physics (mechanics and dynamics) for my A Level General Certificate of Education at the Singapore Polytechnic towards the end of 1950s. The A Level was much higher standard than the current Certificate of Higher Education of Malaysia (STPM) of this country.
Just my simple interest on anything that moves:
All I said was, I was extremely fascinated by the mathematics of SHM which can mathematically generate what is called a ‘sine wave’. I was fascinated by this oscillating wave because mathematics and physic was my pet and most favourite subject among all the disciplines of sciences including medicine.
Anything that moves:
I am interested in anything that moves, the faster the better, like the speed of light, the flow of electrons through a wire, radio signals, the flash of lightning, etc.
I am particularly interested in aerodynamics and planes that can fly me at near 1000 kph from one point on Earth to another point on Earth within hours. That’s why I have great fascination for my friend, Captain KH Lim website:
http://www.askcaptainlim.com/
http://www.askcaptainlim.com/index.php?
option=com_content&view=category&id=48&Itemid=68
I have also contributed some articles in Captain Lim’s website:
http://www.askcaptainlim.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=74&Itemid=89
Captain Lim was a Senior Pilot with MAS and now with AirAsia.
Astronomy, my hobby:
I took up astronomy as a hobby even when I was actively engaged in conducting medical research as a paid profession purely because of my immense love for dynamics, logic, analysis, critical thinking, and problem solving presented in physical sciences.
In Singapore:
At the Singapore Polytechnic where I did my A Level, one of the physics lectures was on Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM). I was fascinated by the dynamics of simple harmonic motion for the oscillation in a single dimension which gave me an opportunity to combine my understanding of Newton’s second law (F = m d2x/dt2) and Hooke's law (F = −kx,) to give the second-order linear differential equation in calculus:
m. d2x/dt2 = - kx
Where, m is the mass of the body, x is its displacement from the mean position, and k is a constant.
The solutions to this differential equation are sinusoidal; one solution is:
x(t) = A cos (ωt + ф) f,
where A, ω, and ф are constants. A is the amplitude, f is the frequency, and ф is the phase.
Thankfully these symbols are available for direct insertion from Microsoft. This is the best I can do to type mathematical symbols on my home PC.
I would like to elaborate, but I am sorry my Microsoft word does not allow me to write many equations in calculus and mathematical formulae. This is the best I can type using Microsoft word. So I have to cut it short. But since you are an engineer, you know what I am trying to mathematically express to you.
The Physics of SHM:
In physics, simple harmonic motion (SHM) is the motion of a simple harmonic oscillator, a periodic motion that is neither driven nor damped. A body in simple harmonic motion experiences a single force which is given by Hooke's law; that is, the force is directly proportional to the displacement x and points in the opposite direction.
The motion is periodic: the body oscillates about an equilibrium position in a sinusoidal pattern. Each oscillation is identical, and thus the period, frequency, and amplitude of the motion are constant. If the equilibrium position is taken to be zero, the displacement x of the body at any time t is given by:
(I am sorry. I have difficulty in typing out the equation)
The frequency of the motion is determined by the intrinsic properties of the system (often the mass of the body and a force constant), while the amplitude and phase are determined by the initial conditions (displacement and velocity) of the system. The kinetic and potential energies of the system are also determined by these properties and conditions.
Graphic Illustration of Simple Harmonic Motion (above)
In the above graph, the vertical axis represents the coordinate of the particle (x in the equation), and the horizontal axis represents time (t).
Simple harmonic motion can serve as a mathematical model of a variety of motions, such as the oscillation of a spring. Other phenomena can be approximated by simple harmonic motion, including the motion of a pendulum and molecular vibration.
Simple harmonic motion provides the basis of the characterization of more complicated motions through the techniques of Fourier analysis.
It’s Kinetosis for me:
With the illustration and explanation I give above, you can understand why SHM fascinates me in school physics. The graph above illustrates the up and down motion generating a sine wave by a particle moving in a circle. Isn’t this similar to someone streaming along in a boat with waves bobbling up and down? The boat is generating a kinetosis (motion sickness) for my poor vestibular balance.
If you were in such a boat with waves dipping up and down, would you get sea-sick (motion sickness). Because you are an engineer and not a doctor or a physiologist, you may have little understanding me why I have vertigo and tinnitus (ring in the ear) when I looked at those graphics e-mailed to me. This was primarily caused by motion (sickness), and imbalances of the fluid within the labyrinth of the inner ear
Vestibular Balance Disorders:
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common form of vertigo and is characterized by the sensation of motion initiated by sudden head movements or moving the head in a certain direction. It also occurs frequently in people riding in a boat bobbling up and down in strong waves causing the fluid with the semi-circular canals in the inner ears (labyrinth) to lose balance.
Of course, vertigo may also be caused by inflammation within the inner ear (labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis). I did not say my vertigo was caused by labyrinthitis from a viral or bacterial inner ear infection, but merely following the Biological Simple Harmonic Motion (BSHM – new term) of a breast up and down. That graphic gave me a headache. It was very hard for me to follow their complicated motions at my age.
Triad Combination:
I had vertigo and ringing in the ears trying to follow a biological SHM, where I have to combine an understanding of physics and mathematics (bi-combination) I learnt in school with biology and medicine currently (a new triad combination) after retirement. This odd combination of physical and biological sciences make it very complicated for me to understand and grasp.
This was why I suffered from vertigo and tinnitus because the SHM I studied in school was only a simple one that generated a sine or a sinusoidal wave (sinusoid). But this SHM has now become a CHM (Complex Harmonic Motions) after I received it on retirement.
How do you combine mathematics, physics, biology and medicine together at my age? They are all strange bed-fellows. They give people who want to rest nightmares and insomnia, and vertigo at the same time. That was what I meant when I signed my name off as a vertigo patient.
The vibrations in a musical instrument:
I play the violin as a hobby. Each time I play a piece on the violin, I already get headaches trying to understand the mathematics of the vibrating strings of my violin. They generated highly, highly complicated mixtures of sine waves on the GDAE strings even though I play the violin just for leisure and pastime.
They produce various combinations of notes, frequencies, harmonics (natural, and artificial), timbre (tone quality), trills, double stops, octaves, grace notes, vibrations of the strings in a chromatic, melodic, major and minor harmonic, diatonic scales, flats, sharps, accidentals, and glissando, causing far more damage to my understanding, made even more complicated using various techniques of bowing over the 4 strings (GDAE) of the violin.
The vibrations of the strings were all different using special bowing techniques, example: Tremolo, Slurs, Largo, Pizzicato, Ties, Staccato, Spiccato, Saltando, Detache, Legato, Bariolage, Martele, etc, etc…and made even worse still by a bowing technique called ‘Paganini’ bowing to produce various sounds, notes, harmonics and frequencies on my violin.
Only a Supercomputer can calculate:
They require an extremely powerful and very fast supercomputer to analyze the mathematical complexities of the various motions, mixtures and over lapping sine waves when the strings or air column of any musical instruments are plucked, bowed, per cussed or blown on. They are beyond me to understand as mine was just a SHM. Thank God mine was just playing the violin for fun at parties and functions.
Finally:
And, pleased do not get this confused with Meniere's disease which is also a triad of symptoms including episodes of vertigo, and ringing in the ear(tinnitus).
Maybe we should combine our opposite training to understand our thoughts better. Unfortunately, I do not understand your logic and explanation on the diagnosis and the treatment of vertigo. I may have to do a post-doctoral training to understand your diagnosis and treatment for vertigo.
But I hope you understand my logic and my explanation on SHM. It took me a long time to write this reply due to difficulty of typing out mathematics and calculus using Microsoft Word. I do not have the software on typing out mathematical symbols and equations. But as an engineer who is competent in mathematics, you know what I am trying to tell you.
jb lim
A sinusoid writer, not a sinister
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