Module 7—Oscillatory Motion

Lesson Summary

 

As you worked through this lesson, you were focusing on these questions:

Resonant frequency is the natural frequency of vibration for an object, defined by its physical characteristics, such as the length of a pendulum or the shape of a quartz crystal.

 

Mechanical resonance is the increase in amplitude of oscillation of a system as a result of a periodic force whose frequency is equal to or very close to the resonant frequency of the system.

 

Buildings, bridges, musical instruments, and clocks are all applications of mechanical resonance. The resonant frequency of such objects must be understood in order for them to work properly and safely.

 

Lesson Glossary

 

forced frequency: the frequency at which one object attempts to make a second object vibrate

 

mechanical resonance: the tendency of a system to oscillate at maximum amplitude at a specific frequency, known as the resonant frequency

 

piezoelectricity: the ability of certain crystals to change shape when a voltage is applied across them or to produce a voltage when a force is applied to them

 

resonant frequency: the frequency at which a system naturally vibrates