Vibration refers to mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point.

The oscillations may be periodic such as the motion of a pendulum or random such as the movement of a tire on a gravel road. Vibration is occasionally "desirable". For example the motion of a tuning fork, the reed in a woodwind instrument or harmonica, or the cone of a loudspeaker is desirable vibration, necessary for the correct functioning of the various devices. More often, vibration is undesirable, wasting energy and creating unwanted sound noise. For example, the vibrational motions of engines, electric motors, or any mechanical device in operation are typically unwanted. Such vibrations can be caused by imbalances in the rotating parts, uneven friction, the meshing of gear teeth, etc. Careful designs usually minimize unwanted vibrations. The study of sound and vibration are closely related. Sound, or "pressure waves", are generated by vibrating structures (e.g. vocal cords); these pressure waves can also induce the vibration of structures (e.g. ear drum). Hence, when trying to reduce noise it is often a problem in trying to reduce vibration.

physics, simple harmonic motion (SHM) is the motion of a simple harmonic oscillator, a periodic motion that is neither driven nor damped. A body in simple harmonic motion experiences a single force which is given by Hooke's law; that is, the force is directly proportional to the displacement x and points in the opposite direction. The motion is periodic: the body oscillates about an equilibrium position in a sinusoidal pattern. Each oscillation is identical, and thus the period, frequency, and amplitude of the motion are constant. If the equilibrium position is taken to be zero, the displacement x of the body at any time t is given by

where A is the amplitude, f is the frequency, and is the phase. The frequency of the motion is determined by the intrinsic properties of the system (often the mass of the body and a force constant), while the amplitude and phase are determined by the initial conditions (displacement and velocity) of the system. The kinetic and potential energies of the system are also determined by these properties and conditions.

Simple harmonic motion. In this moving graph, the vertical axis represents the coordinate of the particle (x in the equation), and the horizontal axis represents time (t). Simple harmonic motion can serve as a mathematical model of a variety of motions, such as the oscillation of a spring. Other phenomena can be approximated by simple harmonic motion, including the motion of a pendulum and molecular vibration. Simple harmonic motion provides the basis of the characterization of more complicated motions through the techniques of Fourier analysis.

Acceleration caused by gravity can refer to:

Gravitational acceleration, the acceleration caused by the gravitational attraction of massive bodies, in particular that due to the Earth's gravity Standard gravity, or g, the standard value of Earth's gravitational acceleration at sea level, 9.80665 meters per second per second. G-force, a measure of apparent gravity caused by acceleration, whose units are based on the strength of standard gravity.

In physics, gravitational acceleration is the specific force or acceleration on an object caused by gravity. In a vacuum, all small bodies accelerate in a gravitational field at the same rate relative to the center of mass. This is true regardless of the mass or composition of the body. On the surface of the Earth, all objects fall with an acceleration between 9.78 and 9.82 m/s2 depending on latitude, with a conventional standard value of exactly 9.80665 m/s2 (approx. 32.174 ft/s2). Objects with low densities do not accelerate as rapidly due to buoyancy and air resistance. In a vacuum all small objects have same acceleration regardless of density. [1][2] The barycentric gravitational acceleration at a point in space is given by:

where: M is the mass of the attracting object, is the unit vector from center of mass of the attracting object to the center of mass of the object being accelerated. r is the distance between the two objects. G is the gravitational constant of the universe.

The relative acceleration of two the objects in the reference frame of the attracting object is:

The relative acceleration depends on both masses. Disregarding air resistance, all masses (large or small) dropped simultaneously will hit the ground at the same time. All masses lifted one at a time and dropped will hit the ground at the same time. However, large masses brought in from space will take less time to hit the ground than small ones.

[edit] Notes

Standard gravity, usually denoted by g0 or gn, is the nominal acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface at sea level, defined to be precisely 9.80665 m/s2 (~32.174 ft/s2). This value was established by the 3rd CGPM (1901, CR 70).[1] [2] The symbol g is sometimes also used for standard gravity, but g strictly means the local acceleration due to gravity, which varies depending on one's position on Earth (see Earth's gravity). The symbol g should not be confused with G, the gravitational constant, or g, the abbreviation for gram. The g (sometimes written "gee") is also used as a unit of acceleration, with the value defined as above; see g-force. The value of g0 defined above is a nominal midrange value on Earth, representing the acceleration of a body in free fall at sea level at a geodetic latitude of about 45.5. It is larger in magnitude than the average sea level acceleration on Earth, which is about 9.797645 m/s2. Although the actual strength of gravity on Earth varies according to location, for weights and measures and many calculation purposes the standard gravity figure is used.

The SI unit of acceleration due to gravity (or, indeed, any acceleration), namely meters per square second, can also be written as newton per kilogram. The numeric value stays the same: gn = 9.80665 N/kg. This alternative representation can be understood by noting that the gravitational force acting on an object at the Earth's surface is proportional to the mass of the object: for each kilogram of mass, the Earth exerts a nominal force of 9.80665 newtons (though, as stated, the precise value varies depending on location). Because the acceleration due to gravity is the force acting on unit mass (in SI units, 1 kg) it is often referred to as the gravitational field in analogy with the electric field which is the electrostatic force on a unit charge.

[edit] Calculating g0
Using the mass and radius of Earth:

The g-force experienced by an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall.[1] It is termed "force" because such proper accelerations cannot be produced by gravity, but instead must result from other types of forces which usually cause stresses and strains on objects which make these sorts of forces more notable.[2] Because of these strains, the types of accelerations discussed in terms of "g-forces," and measured by accelerometers, may be destructive to objects and organisms. The exception of gravitational acceleration from "g-force" accelerations applies to standard gravitational acceleration. The upward "1 g-force" which is "felt" by an object sitting on the Earth's surface is not due to gravity per se, but instead is caused by the stress of the mechanical force exerted in the upward direction by supporting materials (such as the ground) which must act to keep the object from going into free-fall. An object on the Earth's surface is accelerating relative to "free-fall," which is the path of an object falling toward the Earth's center. Objects allowed to free-fall, even under the influence of gravity, feel no "g-force," as demonstrated by the "zero-g" conditions in spacecraft in Earth orbit (or within a hypothetical elevator allowed to free-fall toward the center of the Earth, in vacuum). The unit of measure used is the g- the acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface and it can be written g, g, or G.[3] The unit g is not one of the SI International System of Units which uses "g" for gram, and "G" could be confused with the standard symbol for the gravitational constant, but they are both distinct. The SI unit of acceleration is m/s2. However, objects experiencing gforces are not necessarily changing velocity or position, so standard units of acceleration, which do not necessarily require stress in free fall, are by convention not used to express g-force.[4]

The g-force acting on a stationary object resting on the Earth's surface is 1 g (upwards) and results from the resisting reaction of the Earth's surface bearing upwards equal to an acceleration of 1 g, and is equal and opposite to standard gravity (symbol: gn), defined as 9.80665 metres per second squared,[5] or equivalently 9.80665 newtons of force per kilogram of mass. The g-force acting on an object in any weightless environment such as free-fall in a vacuum is 0 g. The g-force acting on an object under acceleration can be much greater than 1 g, for example, the dragster pictured right can exert a horizontal g-force of 5.3 when accelerating. The g-force acting on an object under acceleration downwards can be negative, for example when cresting a sharp hill on a roller coaster.

Measurement of g-force is typically achieved using an accelerometer (see discussion below in Measuring g-force using an accelerometer). In certain cases g-forces may be measured using suitably calibrated scales.

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