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University Physics Volume 1

Key Terms

University Physics Volume 1Key Terms

Key Terms

amplitude (A)
maximum displacement from the equilibrium position of an object oscillating around the equilibrium position
critically damped
condition in which the damping of an oscillator causes it to return as quickly as possible to its equilibrium position without oscillating back and forth about this position
elastic potential energy
potential energy stored as a result of deformation of an elastic object, such as the stretching of a spring
equilibrium position
position where the spring is neither stretched nor compressed
force constant (k)
characteristic of a spring which is defined as the ratio of the force applied to the spring to the displacement caused by the force
frequency (f)
number of events per unit of time
natural angular frequency
angular frequency of a system oscillating in SHM
oscillation
single fluctuation of a quantity, or repeated and regular fluctuations of a quantity, between two extreme values around an equilibrium or average value
overdamped
condition in which damping of an oscillator causes it to return to equilibrium without oscillating; oscillator moves more slowly toward equilibrium than in the critically damped system
period (T)
time taken to complete one oscillation
periodic motion
motion that repeats itself at regular time intervals
phase shift
angle, in radians, that is used in a cosine or sine function to shift the function left or right, used to match up the function with the initial conditions of data
physical pendulum
any extended object that swings like a pendulum
resonance
large amplitude oscillations in a system produced by a small amplitude driving force, which has a frequency equal to the natural frequency
restoring force
force acting in opposition to the force caused by a deformation
simple harmonic motion (SHM)
oscillatory motion in a system where the restoring force is proportional to the displacement, which acts in the direction opposite to the displacement
simple harmonic oscillator
a device that oscillates in SHM where the restoring force is proportional to the displacement and acts in the direction opposite to the displacement
simple pendulum
point mass, called a pendulum bob, attached to a near massless string
stable equilibrium point
point where the net force on a system is zero, but a small displacement of the mass will cause a restoring force that points toward the equilibrium point
torsional pendulum
any suspended object that oscillates by twisting its suspension
underdamped
condition in which damping of an oscillator causes the amplitude of oscillations of a damped harmonic oscillator to decrease over time, eventually approaching zero
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