- #1
joriarty
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Homework Statement
Note this is exam revision rather than actual course work worth marks, so there is no need to be deliberately vague :)
The question comes in two parts, regarding a lightly damped harmonic oscillator with frequency 10 kHz and an amplitude that decays by 25% over 300 oscillations. First I am asked to calculate the logarithmic decrement, and then to make an expression that allows the amplitude to be calculated as a function of time elapsed.
Homework Equations
δ=(1/N)ln(A0/AN)
The Attempt at a Solution
The log decrement is 9.59x10-4. Easy. For the second part, simply rearranging the log decrement formula gives AN=A0e-Nδ. Knowing that N = 10,000*t, I get A(t)=A0e-9.59t.
What I do not understand is why my course notes give A(t)=e-9.59t. Why is this answer not multiplied by A0? Mathematically and physically, this does not make sense to me - the amplitude as a function of time definitely does depend on the initial amplitude! Am I right in thinking that is a mistake?
Thanks!