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Further Mechanics and Thermal Physics

Forced vibrations and resonance

  • 5 things to know
  • Papers 2 and 3

Overview

Free and forced vibration, the condition for resonance, and how damping changes the resonance curve.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

What is resonance, and what condition must be met for it to occur?

Process

Why is amplitude greatest at resonance, and what is damping?

Process

How do heavy and light damping change the shape of the resonance curve?

Key term

What effect does heavy damping have on the resonance curve of a system?

Key term

What determines the resonant frequency of an air column?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What are free vibrations?

    Model answer

    Oscillations that occur at a system's natural frequency after it has been displaced and released, with no external driving force acting on it.

  2. 2

    Under what conditions does a system undergo free vibrations?

    Model answer

    When the system is displaced from equilibrium and released, then allowed to oscillate without any external periodic force being applied.

  3. 3

    What distinguishes forced vibrations from free vibrations?

    Model answer

    Forced vibrations require a periodic external driving force to be applied, whereas free vibrations occur without any external driving force.

  4. 4

    Define forced vibrations.

    Model answer

    Vibrations that occur when a periodic external driving force is applied to an oscillating system.

  5. 5

    When a system undergoes forced vibrations, what determines the frequency at which it oscillates?

    Model answer

    The frequency of the driving force, not the natural frequency of the system.

  6. 6

    If a driving force of 25 Hz is applied to a system with a natural frequency of 30 Hz, at what frequency does the system oscillate?

    Model answer

    25 Hz — the system oscillates at the driving frequency.

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