Damped Simple
Harmonic Motion
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND
NANOTECHNOLOGY SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY
18PYB201T - Waves and Optics Module-I, Lecture-5
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
Damped Oscillations
Free Oscillations:
In oscillator executing SHM, it is assumed
that the oscillations will continue for infinite
time. The whole system as an idealized
frictionless system. Damped Oscillations:
But, in reality, the oscillating system
gradually loses its energy d ue to several
factors. One such major factor is the
hich diminish the
frictional forces w
amplitude of oscillation and the system
ultimately comes to rest.
The decrease in amplitude caused by the
dissipative forces i s called Damping.
Oscillations with decreasing amplitude are
called Damped Oscillations.
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
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Damped Oscillations
Damping (Frictional Effects): In the
analysis of harmonic oscillators, the effect
of frictional forces is ignored. But, in real
situations, the oscillator is in a resistive
medium like air, oil etc. Hence, part of the
energy of the oscillator is spent in opposing
frictional or viscous forces. At ordinary
velocities, the opposing, resistive or
damping force is proportional to velocity
where γ is called F damping = −γv =
dx (1)
coefficient − γ dt
of the medium and may be termed as
resistive force per unit velocity. Also
d
F = m dt2x
2 = mdv (2)
dt
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
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Damped Oscillations
Comparing Eqn.1 and Eqn.2
dv = −γv 3 γv = 0
m dt Rewritten as dvdt + m
4
The constant γ/m=1/τ, dvdt the
+ resistive
1 v = 0 5
τ er unit
force p
mass per unit velocity, is denoted by 2b,
f the
where b is called damping constant o
medium. Rewriting and integrating Eqn. 5
1 dt 6
− τ
dvv =
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
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Damped Oscillations
where C constant, determined lnv = −from τ
t+ C 7
the initial
conditions. When t = 0, v = v0,
C 8 Sub Eqn.8 in Eqn. 7
lnv0 =
v = v0e−τ t 9 Above Eqn. clearly shows that
the velocity decreases exponentially with
time.
Example of Damping Forces A familiar
example is a spring – mass system
executing longitudinal oscillations in a
horizontal surface.
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
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Damped Oscillations
The mass which has to move on the
horizontal surface experiences frictional
force from the surface and this frictional
force opposes its motion. So, the friction
due to the surface acts like damping force
for the oscillating spring-mass system.
Another example is Millikan’s oil drop
experiment. In this experiment, a charged
oil drop falling freely in an electric field
experiences a viscous drag.
The direction of viscous (resistive or
damping) force is opposite to velocity.
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
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Differential Equation of the Damped
Oscillator
To understand the effect of damping on a
one dimensional oscillator, consider a
spring-mass system.
The system in which the oscillating mass is
executing oscillations in a viscous medium
which causes its amplitude progressively
decreasing to zero is called a Damped
harmonic oscillator.
In this oscillator, in addition to the restoring
force – kx, a resistive or damping force also
acts upon it. This damping force is
proportional to the velocity, v (= dx / dt ).
Damped SHM
7 18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
The general equation of the damped
harmonic oscillator (or) Spring mass system
is given by
After rearranging term and dividing
throughout by m, the equation of motion of
a damped oscillator takes the form
where ω0 2 = k/m is the natural frequency of
oscillating particle (i.e.
its frequency in the
absence of damping), and 2b = Υ/m .
Above equation is called the differential
equation of a Damped harmonic oscillator.
Damped SHM
1
2
8 18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
The derived differential equation is a
second order linear homogeneous
differential equation. Therefore, it will have
at least one solution,
x = A eαt...... 3
Here α and t both are arbitrary constants.
Therefore dx/dt = α Aeαt and d2x/dt2 = α2
Aeαt. Substituting the above in Eqn. 2 we
get,
2 αt αt A eαt
α Ae + 2bα Ae + ω 2
0 = 0 (or) α2 +
=0
2bα + ω20 This is quadratic equation of
α having the solution α = -b+√ b2-ω02 and α
= -b-√ b2-ω02. Since the equation being a
linear one, the linear sum of two
linearly
independent solutions will also be a general
solution.
x(t) = exp (-bt) [a1 exp
{(b2 – ω02)1/2}t + a2
exp{-(b2 – ω02)1/2}t]..... 4 where
a1 and
a2 be
the arbitrary constant.
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
Damped SHM
To find a1 and
a2 we
differentiating the Eqn.
4 with respect to t and applying the
condition at maximum displacement t = 0
and dx/dt = 0.
2
a1 =
a 0 /2 [ 1 + b/√b – ω02 ] and a2 =
a0/2 [ 1-
b/√b2 – ω02 ]...........5
Therefore Eqn. 4 becomes
2
x(t) = a0 /2
exp (-bt) [ (1 + b/√b – ω02) exp
{(b2 – ω02 )1/2}t
+ (1 - b/√b2 – ω02) exp{-(b2 –
ω02 )1/2}t]...................6
Eqn. 6 gives the final solution of damped
harmonic oscillator. The quantity (b2 -ω02)1/2
can be negative, zero or positive
respectively depending
on whether b is less
than, equal to or greater than ω0
respectively. We therefore have three
possibilities
Damped SHM
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(i) If b > ω0 , The
system is over or heavy
damping (ii) If b = ω0 , The system is critical
damping (iii) If b < ω0 , The
system is light or
weak damping H eavy Damping (or) Over
Damping
In such case ( b2 – ω02 )1/2 is a real quantity,
with a positive value. This
means that each
term in the R.H.S. of Eqn. 6 has an
exponential term with a negative power.
Therefore, the displacement of the
oscillator, after attaining a maximum, dies
off exponentially with time. Thus, after
some time, there will be no oscillations.
Such kind of oscillatory motion is called
over Damped or Aperiodic motion. Such
kind of motion best seen in dead beat
galvanometer.
Damped SHM
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