Oscillations Flashcards
What is critical damping?
The damping where oscillations stop and return to equilibrium in the quickest possible time.
What is damping in the context of SHM?
When the energy in a SHM system is not kept as kinetic energy or potential energy and the total energy is no longer constant.
What causes real systems to experience damping?
Friction or air resistance.
What are free vibrations?
Oscillations of a system without any external driving force.
What are forced vibrations?
Oscillations that occur when a system’s oscillations are driven by an external force.
What characterizes light damping?
When oscillation amplitudes reduce slowly due to friction and air resistance.
What is the natural frequency of a system?
The frequency at which a system naturally vibrates, typically observed in free vibrations.
What is overdamping?
When damping is greater than critical damping, causing the system to take longer to return to equilibrium than in critical damping.
What is a pendulum oscillator?
A mass on a string that oscillates with simple harmonic motion from side to side, with a time period independent of mass and initial displacement.
What is resonance?
Occurs when the driving force is at the natural frequency of a system, causing maximal energy transfer and maximum amplitude of oscillation.
In resonance, how is the phase of the driving force related to the oscillations?
The driving force is π/2 radians ahead of the phase of the oscillations.
Define simple harmonic motion (SHM).
the periodic motion about an equilibrium position such that the acceleration is proportional to the displacement and always directed towards the fixed point.
What is a spring oscillator?
A mass on a spring that oscillates with simple harmonic motion, with a time period independent of gravitational field strength and initial displacement.
Define amplitude/A
the maximum displacement from the equilibrium position, in metres
Define Time Period/T
the time taken to complete one oscillation, in seconds
Define frequency
the number of complete oscillations per second, in Hertz.
Define angular frequency
rate of change of an object’s angular displacement per unit time, radians per second.
