Saturday, January 10, 2026

Chapter 18: FlashCards

 Oscillations:

Q. What is simple harmonic motion?

The periodic, oscillatory motion of a body, where the restoring force, acting on the moving body, is proportional to its displacement from the equilibrium position. This force opposes the direction of displacement.

Q. What conditions are required for SHM to take place?

Acceleration and force must be proportional to displacement from the equilibrium position. The acceleration must act towards the equilibrium point.

Q. Definitions:

(a) Displacement – Distance from the equilibrium position vector.

(b) Amplitude – Maximum displacement of an oscillating system from the equilibrium position.

(c) Period – Time taken for a complete oscillation.

(d) Frequency – Number of oscillations per second.

Q. What is angular frequency?

Angular frequency is a metric that describes the speed of oscillation by comparing the distance travelled in a single oscillation to the circumference of a circle.

Q. What does it mean to say that 2 springs, oscillating adjacent to one another, have a constant phase difference?

This means that the springs have the same period but are at different stages in their oscillatory cycle at any one point in time. This angular phase difference can be calculated.

Q. What is damping?

Damping is the process by which the amplitude of the oscillations decreases over time. This is due to energy loss as a result of forces that resist motion, such as drag or friction.

Q. Explain the difference between light damping, heavy damping and critical damping?

Light damping occurs naturally, and the amplitude decreases exponentially. When heavy damping occurs, the amplitude decreases much faster than in a lightly damped system. In critical damping, the object stops before one oscillation is completed.

Q. What is the difference between free and forced oscillations?

When an object oscillates without any external forces being applied, it oscillates at its natural frequency. This is known as free oscillation. Forced oscillation occurs when a periodic driving force is applied to an object, which causes it to oscillate at a particular frequency.

Q. What is resonance?

When the driving frequency of the external force applied to an object is the same as the natural frequency of the object, resonance occurs. Resonance involved a rapid increase in the amplitude of oscillation. If the system is not damped, the amplitude will continue to increase until the system fails.

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