1.
Key Concepts of Periodic Motion
- Periodic Motion: Motion that repeats at regular intervals.
- Examples: Vibrations in clocks, heartbeats.
- Useful for understanding waves, sound, light, and optics.
2. Characteristics of Oscillations
- Amplitude (A): Maximum displacement from equilibrium. SI Unit:
meters (m).
- Period (T): Time taken for one complete cycle. SI Unit: seconds (s).
- Frequency (f): Number of cycles per unit time. SI Unit: hertz (Hz).
- Angular Frequency (ω) : This represents how quickly an object
oscillates or rotate in a given period of time.
An object that undergoes simple harmonic motion is called a harmonic
oscillator.
3. Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)
- Restoring Force: Proportional to displacement(Hooke’s Law).
- Where k = force constant, x = displacement.
Vertical SHM: If an object of mass m is suspended to a spring of a force
constant k that is hang vertically
Angular SHM: A mechanical watch keeps time based on the oscillations
of a balance wheel.
5. Pendulums
- Simple Pendulum: A point mass on a string exhibits SHM for small
angles \( \theta \).
- Physical Pendulum: A rigid body rotating about a fixed point.
6. Damped Oscillations
- Damping: Real-world oscillations lose energy over time.
- Equation of motion:
- Critical Damping: System returns to equilibrium without oscillating.
- Overdamping: System slowly returns to equilibrium without
oscillation.
- Underdamping: Oscillations occur but with decreasing amplitude.
7. Forced Oscillations and Resonance
- Forced Oscillation: Occurs when a periodic driving force is applied to
an oscillator.
- Resonance: Large amplitude oscillations when driving frequency equals
the system’s natural frequency.
