Oscillations Flashcards
Define displacement:
the distance from the equilibrium position in a particular direction
Define amplitude:
the maximum displacement of the oscillator from its equilibrium position
Define period:
the time taken for the oscillator to complete one complete oscillation
Define frequency:
the number of oscillations per unit time
Define simple harmonic motion:
acceleration is directly proportional to its displacement from its equilibrium position and is directed towards the equilibrium position
What is phase difference in terms of oscillations?
the fraction of an oscillation one oscillator leads or lags behind another
What equipment can you use to show that an oscillator keeps a steady time?
a motion sensor attached to a laptop or a data logger
When does kinetic energy have a maximum value?
when displacement is 0
What are free oscillations?
the motion of a mechanical system oscillating without any external forces
What is natural frequency?
the frequency of free oscillations
What is applied in a forced oscillations?
external periodic driving force
What is driving frequency?
the frequency of a driving force
When are oscillations in a mechanical system damped?
when an external force acts on the system which reduces the amplitude of the oscillations
What is damping caused by?
frictional forces
What happens to the amplitude when light damping is used?
it decreases by the same fraction each time
When is an oscillator in resonance?
when it has maximum amplitude when being forced to oscillate
What happens at resonance to the driving frequency?
it is equal to the natural frequency of the forced oscillator
What does the forced oscillator absorb from the driver at resonance?
maximum energy
What is the frequency at maximum amplitude also known as?
resonant frequency
What happens as the amount of damping is increased?
- amplitude of the vibration at any frequency decreases
- the maximum amplitude occurs at a lower frequency than the natural frequency
Name some examples of resonance:
tuning circuit of a radio, MRI scanner and wind instruments
