Question

Ellen says that whenever the acceleration is directly proportional to the displacement of an object from its equilibrium position, the motion of the object is simple harmonic motion. Mary says this is true only if the acceleration is opposite in direction to the displacement. Which one, if either, is correct

Answer 1

Both Ellen and Mary are correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

Both are correct, it's just different ways of saying the same thing.

When the acceleration is always opposite in direction to the displacement, then, the acceleration is directly proportional to the displacement of an object from its equilibrium position