Dampened Harmonics
Reference from the original Physics I textbook.
- Dampened Harmonics
Damped harmonic motion loses mechanical energy to a damping force. In the underdamped model the amplitude decreases exponentially; critical or overdamping returns the system to equilibrium without oscillation.
- Related Glossary Terms
Angular Frequency Equation for Dampened Harmonics, Dampening Harmonics Equation, Damping Constant, Simple Harmonic Motion↗
- Index
Reviewed physics notes (1)
These corrections keep the original lesson’s purpose while fixing errors in the source edition.
- Any external force need not damp; ideal exponential decay reaches zero only asymptotically. — Reference 1
Glossary and deeper reading · 2 refreshers
These editorial refreshers supplement the reading. Definitions and examples are added guidance; original source wording and recorded answers remain in their original context.
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Damping
Damping is a process that transfers energy out of an oscillation and reduces its amplitude over time. The motion can remain oscillatory or approach equilibrium without oscillating, depending on the damping strength. For example, an oscillator moving through a viscous liquid loses mechanical energy to the liquid.
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Simple harmonic motion
Simple harmonic motion occurs when the net restoring force is proportional to displacement from equilibrium and points in the opposite direction. The resulting position varies sinusoidally with time in the ideal model. For example, a mass attached to an ideal spring can execute simple harmonic motion when damping is negligible.