6.

1
WAVES
DAMPING AND RESONANCE
IN AN OSCILLATING SYSTEMS
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this lesson, the student should
be able to:
• Describe damping in an oscillating system
• Describe resonance in a oscillating system
• What can you say about the amplitude of the
swing?
• What can you do to maintain or increase the
amplitude?
• At the start, the pendulum oscillates
with maximum amplitude.
• The amplitude of the oscillation
decreases with time and finally stops.
 What causes the pendulum to stop?
• Air friction causes the amplitude of the
pendulum to decrease.
• When the pendulum oscillates, it has energy.
• This energy is used to overcome air friction.
• As time passes, more energy of the pendulum
is being used to overcome air friction.
• This causes the energy of the pendulum to
decreases.
• As a result, the amplitude becomes smaller.
• The pendulum is said to experience damping.
 Damping
• Damping is the decrease in the amplitude of
an oscillating system when its energy is lost
as heat energy.
• The amplitude of an oscillating system will
gradually decrease and become zero when
the oscillation stops.
 Activity 2:
Damping effect in a
vibrating system
• Set up the apparatus as
shown below.
• Fix a saw blade
horizontally on the leg of
a laboratory bench using
a G-clamp.
• At the other end of the • Observe the position Y
blade, fix a piece of reached by the plasticine.
plasticine (50 g)
• Observe subsequent Y
• Move the plasticine to
the position X and positions of the plasticine.
release it.
Observation:
What changes do you
observe in the position Position Y decreases
Y over several
oscillations?

Conclusion:
closer to the
The position Y becomes _________
equilibrium position each time the plasticine
oscillates.
• Why does the spring oscillate closer and closer to the
equilibrium position?
• Its amplitude decreases.
• What happens to the energy possessed by the
plasticine and the blade?
• Energy possess decreases and lost to heat.
• What happens to the oscillation of the blade after a
long time?
• It will stop.
• What is the name given to this phenomenon?
• Damping
• How do you overcome the damping effect of the
oscillation
• Give external force or push the plasticine ball.
• A mother puts her What happen to the sarong cradle
baby to sleep in a when the mother stops moving the
sarong cradle. She cradle up and down?
needs to • Amplitude decreases
continuously move Suggest a reason for the
the sarong cradle up movement of the sarong cradle
and down. discussed in (a).
• Damping, lost energy to heat
What must you do if you want to
help the mother to maintain the
movement of the cradle?
• Move the cradle up and down
/ give external force
 Forced oscillation & Damping

• The swing will stop • The boy is given a

swinging due to periodic push at the
damping. correct timing will
continue to swing
without stopping.
 Forced oscillation & Damping
• A system oscillates at • If a periodic force is
its natural frequency applied to the swing
when no external at its natural
force is applied to it. frequency, the
• When a periodic force amplitude of the
is applied to an swing increases as the
oscillating system, the energy of the swing
response depends on increases.
the frequency of the • The swing is said to
periodic force. be in resonance and it
oscillates with a
maximum amplitude.
 Resonance in an oscillating system
• To enable an oscillating system to go on
continuously, an external force must be
applied to the system.

• The external force supplies energy to the

system. Such a motion is called a forced
oscillation

• Natural frequency is the frequency of a

system which oscillates freely without the
action of an external force.
 Resonance in an oscillating system
Resonance occurs when a system is made to
oscillate at a frequency equivalent to its
natural frequency by an external force.
The resonating system oscillates at its
maximum amplitude.
 Barton’s pendulum
• The frequency of a simple pendulum depends
on the length of the pendulum.
• In Barton’s pendulum experiment, there are
many pendulums tied to the rope. Two of
the pendulum are of the same length
• When pendulum B oscillates, all the other
pendulums are forced to
oscillate.
 Barton’s pendulum
• But pendulum D oscillates with the largest
amplitude, ie, pendulum D resonates
• Pendulum B and pendulum D are of the same
length.
• Frequency B equal Frequency D
• Therefore, pendulum B causes pendulum D
to oscillate at its natural frequency.
 Effects of resonance
• Breaking glass
The frequency of the sound is equal to the
natural frequency of the glass. Resonance
occurs and the glass vibrates with largest
amplitude and it breaks.
• Tacoma Bridge collapsed in 1940
The wind have the same frequency as the
natural frequency of the vibration of the
bridge. Resonance occurred and caused the
bridge to collapse.
 Question 1
A system vibrates with a natural
frequency. If a forced vibration of the
same frequency is given to the system,
what will happen?
A. Damping
B. Vibration
C. Resonance
 Question 2
• When does an oscillating system
experiences damping?
A. When the amplitude of oscillation
decreases
B when the period decreases
C when the frequency increases
D when the amplitude remains
constant