oscillations Flashcards
periodic motion
movement that repeats itself in equal intervals of time
simple harmonic motion
motion of a body whose acceleration is directly proportional to its displacement from a fixed point and is always directed towards that fixed point
displacement
distance of the oscillating object from its equilibrium position at any instant in a specified direction
amplitude
maximum displacement from the equilibrium position
period
time it takes to complete one cycle of oscillation
frequency
number of cycles per unit time made by the oscillating object
phase
angle which gives a measure of the fraction of a cycle that has been completed by an oscillating particle or a wave
phase difference
measure of how much one wave is out of step with another
free oscillations
a freely oscillating system oscillates at its own natural frequency without external influences other than the initial impulse when displaced from its equilibrium position, with no dissipation of energy
natural frequency of vibration
frequency at which an object will vibrate when it is allowed to do so freely. this happens when there is no add-on or removal of energy from the oscillating system
damped oscillations
oscillations in which the amplitude diminishes with time as a result of dissipative forces that reduce the total energy of the oscillations
forced oscillations
a system is in forced oscillations when it is forced to oscillate at a frequency other than the natural frequency by a periodic external force
forced frequency of vibration
frequency at which a body is made to vibrate by imposing a periodic force on it
resonance
a phenomenon that occurs when the frequency at which an object is being made to vibrate is equal to its resonant frequency of vibration
