Damped Oscillation

In day-to-day life, we come across several instances where repetitive movements of objects are involved. These can be anything from the movement of the bicycle wheels, strings of the guitar

 and so on. If observed closely, you will notice that most of these movements take place in a rhythm. 

Today, in this article on the understanding of damped oscillation (in one dimension), you will get detailed information on oscillation in physics, types of oscillation, damped oscillation and other related topics. So, without further ado, let us get started with the damped oscillation (in one dimension) in the Physics study material.

What is oscillation? 

Oscillation is a fundamental term in physics that is referred to as the process of repeating variations of any measure or quantity in regards with its equilibrium value in the time. It is a regular movement that occurs at fixed intervals in a systematic rhythm. 

Some common examples of oscillation include simple pendulum alternating current. In simple terms, oscillation can be described as repetitive variation, mainly in time. Here are the three parameters that govern the oscillation. They are as follows:

• oscillation amplitude

• oscillation frequency

• Period of oscillation

Types of oscillation

There are mainly three types of oscillation, including damped oscillation, free oscillation and forced oscillation. Let’s discuss each of these briefly. 

Free oscillation 

In free oscillation, there is a continuous period and amplitude without any outside force for setting the oscillation. In simple words, free oscillation does not include damping. In this type of oscillation, the frequency, energy  and amplitude remain the same. 

Forced oscillation 

When the body oscillates after coming under the influence of any external periodic force, it is called forced oscillation. Here, the oscillation amplitude experiences damping. However, it remains the same as outside energy is applied to it. One common forced oscillation example in real life is when you ask someone to push you on the swing. 

Damped oscillation 

Damped oscillation can be described as the oscillation that fades away with time. Because of regular damping, the oscillation’s amplitude decreases as time passes. This leads to loss of energy from the system in overcoming external forces such as air resistance and friction. 

One of the most common examples of damped oscillation is when a pendulum oscillates under natural circumstances. Apart from this, the shock absorbers present in the vehicles are another common example of damped oscillation. 

There are several different types of damped oscillation. These are described as follows – 

Critically damped oscillations: Damping constant = 1

Under damped oscillations: Damping constant < 1

Over damped oscillations: Damping constant > 1

Damped oscillation equation 

Damped forced oscillation is denoted by Fd.Fd = – pv  

Here, 

v is referred to as the magnitude of the velocity of the object

p is referred to as viscous damping coefficient, which represents the damping force per unit velocity. 

In the equation, there is a (-) sign that denotes the force opposing the motion leading to reduced velocity. 

What is Resonance?

Resonance is referred to as a general phenomenon where an external vibrating system promotes another system for oscillating with greater amplitude at a specific frequency. When you tune your guitar using another guitar, you will notice that the vibration from the strings is the highest and greatest at the resonant frequency. This frequency is known as the resonant frequency.  

Types of Resonance

There are mainly six types of resonance. These are listed below:

• Mechanical (in bridges) – When the vibration frequency of the system is the same as its oscillation frequency, the mechanical resonance absorbs maximum energy. 

• Optical resonance – Resonant optical cavity, also known as Optical resonators, is used widely in lasers. 

• Acoustic (in instruments) – The acoustic resonance is the mechanical vibration that happens within the 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range, which is audible. 

• Electrical (in electrical circuits) – In the electrical circuits, the electrical resonance phenomena are observed. 

• Orbital – In orbital resonance, a regular and periodic gravitational force is excreted by two orbiting bodies. 

• Particle – In particle resonance, molecules, atoms and other particles influence one another. 

Conclusion 

With this, we end our study material on Damped oscillation (in one dimension). In this introduction to Damped oscillation (in one dimension), we studied the oscillation that fades away with time. Because of regular damping, the oscillation’s amplitude decreases as time passes, which leads to loss of energy from the system in overcoming external forces such as air resistance and friction.

We covered the introduction to damped oscillation (in one dimension), description of oscillation, types of oscillation, what is resonance, damped oscillation formula, different types of resonance, along with their brief discussion and other related topics in detail. We hope the damped oscillation (in one dimension) study material must have helped attain a greater understanding of this topic.