Physics 2 Week 1

Doane University

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

antinode

location of maximum amplitude in standing waves

constructive interference

when two waves arrive at the same point exactly in phase; that is, the crests of the two waves are precisely aligned, as are the troughs

destructive interference

when two identical waves arrive at the same point exactly out of phase; that is, precisely aligned crest to trough

fixed boundary condition

when the medium at a boundary is fixed in place so it cannot move

free boundary condition

exists when the medium at the boundary is free to move

fundamental frequency

lowest frequency that will produce a standing wave

intensity (I)

power per unit area

interference

overlap of two or more waves at the same point and time

linear wave equation

equation describing waves that result from a linear restoring force of the medium; any function that is a solution to the wave equation describes a wave moving in the positive x-direction or the negative x-direction with a constant wave speed v

longitudinal wave

wave in which the disturbance is parallel to the direction of propagation

mechanical wave

wave that is governed by Newton’s laws and requires a medium

node

point where the string does not move; more generally, nodes are where the wave disturbance is zero in a standing wave

normal mode

possible standing wave pattern for a standing wave on a string

overtone

frequency that produces standing waves and is higher than the fundamental frequency

pulse

single disturbance that moves through a medium, transferring energy but not mass

standing wave

wave that can bounce back and forth through a particular region, effectively becoming stationary

superposition

phenomenon that occurs when two or more waves arrive at the same point

transverse wave

wave in which the disturbance is perpendicular to the direction of propagation

wave

disturbance that moves from its source and carries energy

wave function

mathematical model of the position of particles of the medium

wave number

2⁢𝜋𝜆

wave speed

magnitude of the wave velocity

wave velocity

velocity at which the disturbance moves; also called the propagation velocity

wavelength

distance between adjacent identical parts of a wave