Oscillations

Question 1

What is simple harmonic motion?

Answer 1

-is a type of oscillation where the acceleration of the oscillator is directly proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium positions and acts towards the equilibrium position.

a= -w^2x

Question 2

What is the restoring force and how does it work?

Answer 2

• the restoring force makes the object exchange PE and KE
• as the object moves towards the midpoint the restoring force does work on the object and so transfers some PE to KE. When the object is moving away from the midpoint the objects KE is transferred back to PE again

Question 3

What is an isochronous oscillator?

Answer 3

-a kind of oscillator whose frequency and period are independent of the amplitude

Question 4

What is a forced oscillation?

Answer 4

-when you apply a periodic force to a system, this creates oscillations at the same frequency as the force period - this is forced oscillation

Question 5

What is the resonant frequency?

Answer 5

-is the frequency that a system will oscillate once it has been set into motion.

Question 6

What is resonance ?

Answer 6

• when the driving frequency = natural frequency, the amplitude can be much higher
• ‘this higher amplitude’ is called resonance

Question 7

what is damping?

Answer 7

-damping is the process by which the amplitude of the oscillations decrease over time. This is due to energy loss to resistive forces.

Question 8

what is light damping + example?

Answer 8

• occurs naturally
• (pendulum oscillating in air)
• the amplitude decreases exponentially

Question 9

what is heavy damping

Answer 9

-pendulum oscillating in water the amplitude decreases dramatically

Question 10

what is the difference between free and forced oscillation?

Answer 10

• free oscillation is when a object oscillates at its natural frequency without any external forces being applied.
• forced oscillation when a periodic driving force is applied to an object which causes it to oscillate at a particular frequency.