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Oscillation is the periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure as seen, for example, in a swinging pendulum. The term vibration is sometimes used more narrowly to mean a mechanical oscillation but sometimes is used to be synonymous with oscillation. Oscillations occur not only in physical systems but also in biological systems and in human society. Oscillations are the origin of the sensation of musical tone.
The simplest oscillating system is a mass, subject to the force of gravity, attached to a linear spring. The system is in an equilibrium state when the weight of the mass is balanced by the tension of the spring. If the system is displaced from the equilibrium, there is a net restoring force on the mass, tending to bring it back to equilibrium. However, in moving the mass back to the equilibrium position, it has acquired inertiaInertia is the tendency of any state of affairs to persist in the absence of external influences. Specifically, in physics, it is the tendency of a body to maintain its state of uniform motion unless acted on by an external force''. This is called Newton' which keeps it moving beyond that position, establishing a new restoring force, now in the opposite sense. The specific dynamicsIn mathematics and physics, dynamics is the branch of mechanics that is concerned with the effects of forces on the motion of objects. Elementary principles Variational principles and Lagrange's equations Two-body central force problem Rigid body kinemati of this spring-mass system are described mathematically by the simple harmonic oscillatorA harmonic oscillator is a mechanical system in which there exists a returning force F directly proportionate to the displacement x i. where k is a constant. It can also refer to any physical system that is analogous to this mechanical system, in which so and the regular periodic motion is known as simple harmonic motionSimple harmonic motion is the motion of a simple harmonic oscillator, a motion that is neither driven nor damped. The motion is periodic and can be described as that of a sine function (or equivalently a cosine function), with constant amplitude. It is ch. In the spring-mass sytem, oscillations occur because, when at the staticStatics is the branch of physics that is concerned with physical systems that are in static equilibrium, that is, in a state where the relative positions of subsystems do not vary over time, or where components and structures are at rest under the action equilibrium displacement, the mass has kinetic energyKinetic energy (also called vis viva or living force is energy possessed by a body by virtue of its motion. The kinetic energy of a body is equal to the amount of work needed to establish its velocity and rotation, starting from rest. Equations Definition which is converted into energyThis article is about the scientific concept. Energy use by humans is discussed in other articles''. Energy generally and qualitatively speaking, is the property (or the quantity of the property) of doing things or supplying power. The expressions energy stored in the spring at the extremes of its path.
The spring-mass system illustrates some important and universal principles of oscillation:
The harmonic oscillatorA harmonic oscillator is a mechanical system in which there exists a returning force F directly proportionate to the displacement x i. where k is a constant. It can also refer to any physical system that is analogous to this mechanical system, in which so offers a model of many more complicated types of oscillation and can be extended by the use of Fourier analysis.