A mechanical or electronic system or device that works on the principles of oscillation, that is a periodic fluctuation between two things based on changes in energy. These range from abstract models such as a harmonic oscillator to electrical devices such as an LC circuit.
Questions tagged [oscillators]
1247 questions
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Why aren't the lengths of the bars on a toy glockenspiel proportional to the wavelengths?
As you might already know, frequency of musical notes is arranged in a such a way that if, for example, an A note has frequency of $x$, another A note which is placed one octave higher would produce frequency of $2x$. So here's my childhood toy…
M Farzan
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Why does pitch increase when you blow harder into a whistle?
When you play recorder or whistle, the pitch depends on how hard you blow into the tube. E.g. when you blow a whistle, initially the pitch is slightly lower when there is less air flow. This seems counter intuitive since the airflow should only…
47
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3 answers
What is a mode?
The word mode pops up in many fields of physics, yet I can't remember ever encountering a simple but precise definition. After having searched fruitlessly on this site as well, an easy to find place with (one or more) good answers seems in order.…
Janosh
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Intuitively, what actually is the cause of resonance?
Please don't explain it mathematically. I have been searching for the reason for a long time. I have watched Walter Lewin's video giving an example of resonance, but I didn't get the reason behind the intuition. I am confused if the reason exists.
Nandani Kumari
- 617
41
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Why does ponytail-style hair oscillate horizontally, but not vertically when jogging?
Many people with long hair tie their hair to ponytail-style: Closely observing the movement of their hair when they are running, I have noticed that the ponytail oscillates only horizontally, that is, in "left-right direction". Never I have seen…
Zeick
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Why does my ID card oscillate sideways when walking?
When I was going to my school with my ID card hanging around my neck, it started doing oscillations like a pendulum. I was moving forward and it was oscillating left to right and right to left. What forces are at play here?
Sarthak Sharma
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Why does the pet's water bowl overflow?
So when i give the pet fresh water in a stainless steel bowl that i place on a mat according to the attached picture, from $t=0$ the bowl is at rest, the water normally oscillates in the bowl like a pendulum following the action, but after one or…
user721108
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9 answers
Does amplitude really go to infinity in resonance?
I was recapping the forced oscillations, and something troubled me. The equation concerning forced oscillation is: $$ x=\frac{F_0}{m(\omega_0^2-\omega^2)}\cos(\omega t) $$ I don't understand why this equation predicts that the amplitude will…
Efe Zaladin
- 687
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3 answers
Why does a simple pendulum or a spring-mass system show simple harmonic motion only for small amplitudes?
I've been taught that in a simple pendulum , for small $x$, $\sin x \approx x$. We then derive the formula for the time period of the pendulum. But I still don't understand the Physics behind it. Also, there's no angle $x$ involved in a spring-mass…
whateven
- 405
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8 answers
Why a sine wave?
Whenever: traveling or stationary waves on a string electromagnetic radiations sound waves are put in form of a function, they are either represented as sinusoidal or cosinusoidal functions. What's the reason behind choosing these trigonometric…
Kyathallous
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Why are sine/cosine always used to describe oscillations?
What I am really asking is are there other functions that, like $\sin()$ and $\cos()$ are bounded from above and below, and periodic ? If there are, why are they never used to describe oscillations in Physics? EDIT: Actually I have just thought of a…
SuperCiocia
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Does the human body have a resonant frequency? If so, how strong is it?
Inspired by this question on Music beta SE , I'm wondering if the human body has a strong resonant frequency. I guess the fact that it's largely a bag of jelly would add a lot of damping to the system, but is that enough to dampen it entirely? What…
naught101
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Non-resonant but efficient frequencies
I understand that if the frequency of a driving force coincides with the natural frequency of an oscillator (say a pendulum), the rate at which energy is transferred to the same is maximized. However, there may be other frequencies that are not so…
Sierra
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5 answers
What's a good textbook to learn about waves and oscillations?
I'm taking a course on waves and oscillations using Crawford from the Berkeley series (out of print excluding international copies), and would like to know if anyone has any suggestions for a better book. We cover: coupled oscillators, forced…
LucasCarreno
- 101
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Definition of the $Q$ factor?
According to Wikipedia, the $Q$ factor is defined as: $$Q=2\pi\frac{\mathrm{energy \, \, stored}}{\mathrm{energy \, \,dissipated \, \, per \, \, cycle}}.$$ Here are my questions: Does the energy dissipated per cycle assume that the amplitude is…
user43487