Oscillation Definition and 769 Threads

Oscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. The term vibration is precisely used to describe mechanical oscillation. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum and alternating current.
Oscillations occur not only in mechanical systems but also in dynamic systems in virtually every area of science: for example the beating of the human heart (for circulation), business cycles in economics, predator–prey population cycles in ecology, geothermal geysers in geology, vibration of strings in guitar and other string instruments, periodic firing of nerve cells in the brain, and the periodic swelling of Cepheid variable stars in astronomy.

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  1. M

    Ground state oscillation freq. of H2?

    Does anyone have the most up-to-date zero-point oscillation frequency for a hydrogen molecule? This is not a homework question, I'm thinking about incorporating it into a tattoo someday. I don't wish to have a tattoo with inaccurate info, so any help would be appreciated.
  2. C

    Stokes drag of oscillation sphere

    If we consider a sphere oscillates in viscous fluid with frequency w, then sphere has velocity u=u_0*e^{-iwt} In Laudau's book, he defined the velocity of fluid is: v=e^{iwt}*F where F is a vector with only spatial variable involved. The boundary condition then becomes u=v at |x|=R, where R is...
  3. A

    Analyzing Simple Harmonic Motion of a Rolling Sphere in a Cylindrical Trough

    Homework Statement A solid sphere (radius = R) rolls without slipping in a cylindrical trough (radius = 5R), as shown in Figure P13.56. Show that, for small displacements from equilib- rium perpendicular to the length of the trough, the sphere executes simple harmonic motion with a period...
  4. E

    Ball rolling in a hemispherical bowl (model oscillation)

    Homework Statement A uniform solid sphere of radius r is placed on the inside surface of a hemispherical bowl with radius R. The sphere is released from rest at an angle θ to the vertical and rolls without slipping. Model the motion of the sphere assuming no energy is lost, so it oscillates...
  5. Z

    Does gluon oscillation violate color conservation?

    Since the actual mass-eigenstate gluons are not the simple red-antired, red-antigreen, etc. but rather linear combinations thereof, is color charge still absolutely conserved? It seems that if we (perhaps naïvely) treat a gluon as simply fluctuating from one of the color-anticolor combinations...
  6. C

    Help with Oscillation - Can't Figure Out the Answer!

    Homework Statement Hi all :smile: The Attempt at a Solution #1 I can't understand what exactly oscillation is. I guessed a,b,c are correct but c is not the answer ... why? #2 No idea. #3 a, b ? #4 i guessed its c,d ... but again i was wrong #5 No idea, sorry :(
  7. L

    Calculating frequency for small torsional oscillation

    Homework Statement A thin, uniform, rigid disk of mass M, radius R is welded to a light, elastic shaft of radius r, length L, shear modulus G. Phi is the torsional oscillation. http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9811/unledlf.png Uploaded with ImageShack.us Homework Equations Phi=TL/GI...
  8. G

    Frequency of oscillation (spring)

    Homework Statement Two identical springs of spring constant 240 N/m are attached to each side of a block of mass 21 kg. The block is set oscillating on the frictionless floor. What is the frequency (in Hz) of oscillation? Figure...
  9. S

    Overdamping vs. convergent oscillation

    I had a question regarding oscillatory motion in a spring-mass-damper system. I understand the concepts of over, under, and critical damping and the criteria which determine them, but I'm wondering if they are equivalent to the concepts of convergent, divergent, and stable oscillation. I...
  10. Z

    Time period of oscillation of a pole floating

    Time period of oscillation of a pole floating... Homework Statement A pole is floating in a liquid with 80cm of its length immersed. It is pushed down a certain distance and released. What is its time period of vertical oscillation? The Attempt at a Solution I think the information...
  11. V

    Oscillation time in wave function?

    What are these oscillations in a coherent superposition? A guy called Chalnoth stated in the Cosmology forum: I don't know if he states this because of bias (he is a Many World interpretation believer). That's why I'm asking this here. He states dynamics can't occur in a superposition...
  12. M

    What are the energy changes in a spring oscillation?

    Homework Statement I have to provide four energy changes taking place in the following diagram, where the spring is oscillating. The Attempt at a Solution I know there is elastic potential energy and kinetic energy involved but i would be happier to understand this more. thank you
  13. C

    Buoyancy and Harmonic Oscillation

    Homework Statement A cork with a density \rho0 in the form of a cube of side length l floats on water with a density of \rhow. The pressure in water depends on depth h from the surface as P=\rhow *g*h. A. Find the equilibrium depth of the bottom surface of the cube (how much length is below...
  14. S

    Building Software for Damped Pendulum in Electric Field

    Firstly, I spoke to a Physics teacher and some strangers on the internet as well as Googled and this is the situation I am in now. I want to build a software simulation for school of a damped-oscillation non-zero charged metallic-sphere pendulum within the uniform electric field of a...
  15. C

    Particle Rotation: Solving for X Coordinate at a Given Time

    Homework Statement A particle rotates counterclockwise in a circle of radius 4.4 m with a constant angular speed of 11 rad/s. At t = 0, the particle has an x coordinate of 2.9 m and y > 0. Determine the x coordinate of the particle at t = 1.22 s. Homework Equations x = Acos(ωt + φ) The...
  16. J

    Mass added to a spring to increase period of oscillation

    Homework Statement 7. Mass m is oscillating on the end of a spring. How much mass must be added in order for the period of oscillation to increase by a factor of two? A.m B.2m C.3m D.4m E.8m Homework Equations f=-kx w= \sqrt{k/m} T = 2\pi\sqrt{m/k} The Attempt at a Solution...
  17. C

    Damped Harmonic Oscillation Problem

    Homework Statement A 100g mass is suspended on a rubber band with a k coefficient of 2.74 N/m. The original amplitude of the oscillations is 5cm and after 100 oscillations, the maximum speed of the weight is 0.13 m/s. Find the damping coefficient y. Homework Equations d2x/dt2 + γdx/dt...
  18. S

    Making Amplitude of Oscillation the Same

    Homework Statement What value must be equal for two different masses to oscillate with the same amplitude? Homework Equations x(t)= Acos(wt+p) v(t)= -Awsin(wt+p) The Attempt at a Solution The answer is (xo)^2+(w*vo)^2 But I really don't understand why... does it have something...
  19. J

    Vertical Spring Oscillation Frequency

    Homework Statement A spring is standing upright on a table with its bottom end fastened to the table. A block is dropped from a height 2.8 cm above the top of the spring. The block sticks to the top end of the spring and then oscillates with an amplitude of 12 cm. What is the oscillation...
  20. D

    Harmonic Oscillation of two point masses

    Hello I am trying to figure out this following question: A metronome consists of two point masses m1 and m2 on the ends of a massless rod of length l. The top mass is m2, which is smaller than m1. The rod pivots about a point at a distance d from m1. Use Lagrange's method to nd the...
  21. C

    Searching for LC Oscillation Theory - Can Anyone Help?

    Hi all I am searching for theory on LC oscillations ... but can't find something good ... Can anyone suggest me some page?
  22. A

    Oscillation of cylinder attached to two springs

    Oscillation of cylinder attached to two springs... Homework Statement A solid uniform cylinder of mass m performs small oscillations due to the action of two springs attached at its topmost point. Spring have spring constant k. Find time period of these oscillations in the absence of...
  23. E

    Weird Oscillation in wheatstone bridge circuit

    I have this weird oscillation coming from my circuit. its a wheatstone bridge with a single strain gage. I am using The PST 4130 from Omega Engineering to supply +10vdc. When I first turn it on the signal is pretty clean, but after a while, it turns into this...
  24. G

    Undamped force oscillation formulas

    Apparently the solution to the formula for undamped force oscillation mx''+kx=F0*cos(ωt) is x(t)=C*cos(ω0*t-α)+[(F0/m)/(ω0^2-ω^2)]*cos(ωt) where C is a constant, but are there any websites that show that derivation in an easy-to-follow way? I've tried Googling both the formulas and the topic...
  25. W

    The relationship between time taken per oscillation and mass

    In an experiment, a ruler is connected to the table and some weights are bounded to one end of the ruler. The ruler is then flicked and the time taken per oscillation is measured. I have plotted a graph with the data I have collected, with the mass on the y-axis and time on x-axis. The graph...
  26. F

    How do I find the other particular solution?

    Homework Statement A Force F(t) = F0(1 - e-at), where both F0 and a are constants, acts over a damped oscillator. In t = 0, the oscillator is in it's equilibrium position. The mass of the oscillator is m, the spring constant is k = 2ma2 and the damping constant is b = 2ma. Find x(t)...
  27. U

    How does neutrino oscillation imply that neutrinos have mass?

    Sorry if this qs been asked before, i couldn't find one similar.
  28. B

    Oscillation amplitude of block

    1.A block of mass M=1 kg rests on a frictionless surface and is connected to a horizontal spring of force constant k=25 N/m. The other end of the spring is attached to a wall. A second block of mass m=500 g, rests on top of the first block. The coefficient of static friction between the blocks...
  29. F

    Calculating Frequency of Vertical Oscillation for a Spring-Mass System

    Homework Statement A spring is suspended from a ceiling and has a block attached to its lower end. The block is held a distance y1 from the ceiling (at this point the spring is at its rest length) and released. The block oscillates up and down with its lowest point being 0.091 m below y1. Find...
  30. Z

    Simple Harmonic Motion - Finding period of oscillation of block

    Homework Statement In the given figure, all the springs and pulley are ideal and surface is frictionless. The rod is massless. The time period of horizontal oscillations of the block is? The Attempt at a Solution I used two different approaches and both give different and wrong...
  31. S

    Calculating period of oscillation of simple harmonic motion

    Homework Statement A body is undergoing S.H.M. of amplitude 4 x 10-2 m and with a maximum speedo f 0.20m s-1. Calculate the period of the oscillation given that the velocity, v, of a body undergoing S.H.M. is ""v= omega sq.rt of A^2 - x ^2"" , where trl is the angular velocity, A is the...
  32. edpell

    What is the impact of complex phases on neutrino oscillations?

    My understanding is that Fermi has results that show the mixing angle for neutrinos is not the same as the mixing angle for anti-neutrinos. Is there a theory that explains this?
  33. U

    Find the frequency of oscillation

    1. This question was in my test recently, and it bothered me I could not solve this. The system is as follows: There is a mass which hangs about 3 springs. 2 at each side and one connected to the top. The whole system is balanced, which makes the springs perpendicular to the mass. And each...
  34. P

    Can a Longitudinal Oscillator Be Seen as a Standing Wave?

    Hello there! I was thinking is it possible to observe a simple longitudinal oscilator (lets say a mass on a string) as a standing wave? Thinking maybe as wave which has a front 4 times than the size of the string. So when we excite the string, we are actually emmiting a wave. One...
  35. G

    What Mass Must Be Hung to Produce Specific Standing Wave Loops?

    Homework Statement One end of a horizontal string of linear density 6.6*10^-4 kg/m is attached to a small amplitude mechanical 120-Hz oscillator. The string passes over a pulley a distance of l=1.50 m away, and weights are hung from this end. What mass m must be hung from this end of the...
  36. K

    How Do You Solve an Oscillation Problem Involving a Vertical Spring and Block?

    a 850 g block is attached to a vertical spring whose stiffness constant is 9N/mThe block is released at the position where the spring is unextended. a) What is the maximum extension of the spring? b) How long does it take the block to reach the lowest point? so I found w by using k=mw^2...
  37. D

    Explaining the Frequency of Oscillation of a Mass Attached to a Spring

    My textbook derived an expression for the frequency of oscillation of a mass m attached horizontally to a spring with mass M and constant k. Assuming that M<<m, it got that \omega^2 = \frac{k}{m + M/3}. The author used the conservation of energy to get this expression, but he assumed that the...
  38. G

    Conservation of Angular Momentum And Oscillation of Mass

    Is oscillation of mass really an effect of conservation of angular momentum when an elementary particle is moving near the speed of light and is spinning along an axis that is perfectly perpendicular to the direction of moving? Unfortunately, I am not a physicist and I lack the ability to work...
  39. I

    Oscillation in quadratic potential

    Can someone tell me how to approach this problem? Find the period of oscillation of a particle of mass m, constrained to move along the x-axis, with a potential V(x)= a+bx+cx2 for a small disturbance from the equilibrium position.
  40. A

    Spring system with oscillation: two different displacements

    Homework Statement A 0.77 kg mass is attached to a vertical spring and is lowered until it reaches equilibrium at a distance x. The force constant of the spring is 220 N/m. The mass is then further displaced and released causing an oscillation with a maximum speed of 0.40 m/s. Find the...
  41. A

    What Is the Total Load Supported by the Springs and the Mass of the Car?

    Homework Statement Two people with a combined mass of 120 kg climb into an old car with worn out shock absorbers causing the springs to compress by 7.36 cm. Then, when the car hits a bump in the road it oscillates up and down with a period of 1.35 s. (1) Find the total load supported...
  42. D

    Oscillation with Two Springs (SMH)

    In the figure below, two springs are attached to a block that can oscillate over a floor. If the left spring is removed, the block oscillates at a frequency of 27 Hz. If, instead, the spring on the right is removed, the block oscillates at a frequency of 43 Hz. At what frequency does the block...
  43. S

    Calculating Period of Oscillation for a Colliding System

    Below is a problem that I am trying to work through in preparation for an upcoming exam. I worked through part A with no problems, but I am struggling with part B. Could someone point me in the right direction? Homework Statement A gob of clay with mass m falls from rest a distance h before...
  44. K

    Assignement 3; Oscillation problem

    Assignement 3; Oscillation problem URGENT Homework Statement A spring is standing upright on a table with its bottom end fastened to the table. A block is dropped from a height 2.8cm above the top of the spring. The block sticks to the top end of the spring and then oscillates with an...
  45. N

    What does wt stand for in oscillation equations

    What does "wt" stand for in oscillation equations Hi, In my physics class we are on the oscillation chapter. I'm kind of confused as to what "wt" in the position/velocity/accel. equations actually is. I understand that w=2pi/T and t is the time in an equation x=Acos(wt + delta) but when...
  46. M

    What Is the Oscillation Frequency of a Block on a Spring?

    Homework Statement A spring is standing upright on a table with its bottom end fastened to the table. A block is dropped from a height 2.7 cm above the top of the spring. The block sticks to the top end of the spring and then oscillates with an amplitude of 14 cm. What is the oscillation...
  47. A

    Newton-Raphson solution for damped oscillation

    1. The oscillation amplitude of a damped system is given by: x=-8e^0.5θ sin3θ Where θ is in radians Using the Newton-Raphson iteration method, determine the value of t, near to 5.2 correct to 4 significant figures, when the amplitude is zero. 2. Newton's equation r_2=r_1-f(r_1...
  48. R

    Mass Oscillation on a massive spring Problem

    Homework Statement Given a spring of unknown mass, weights of known masses and a stopwatch calculate the mass of the spring Homework Equations T=\frac{2\pi}{\omega} \omega=\sqrt{\frac{k}{M+m}}...where M= mass of spring and m=mass of added weight The Attempt at a Solution From...
  49. K

    Oscillation Frequency and Spring Constant

    Homework Statement An automobile is supported by four wheels. These wheels are connected to the automobile by four springs. When six 68Kg teenagers get into the automobile, it settles closer to the road by 3.2 centimeters. What is the spring constant of each of the springs? If the automobile...
  50. J

    Spring oscillation equilibrium point

    Homework Statement A 1.70 kg, horizontal, uniform tray is attached to a vertical ideal spring of force constant 180N/m and a 295 g metal ball is in the tray. The spring is below the tray, so it can oscillate up-and-down. The tray is then pushed down 16.5 cm below its equilibrium point (call...
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