PHYS 123 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Fourier Series, Fundamental Frequency, Isochronous Timing
Document Summary
Periodic motion - any motion that repeats itself at regular time intervals. Vibration / oscillation - "back and forth" motion; i. e. guitar strings, pendulums. Period t - time interval to complete a full cycle of motion. Frequency f, or inverse of the period = , is the number of cycles completed per second. Amplitude a - magnitude of the cart"s maximum displacement from equilibrium position. Idea: periodic motion is characterized by a continuous conversion between potential and kinetic energy in a closed system. When the amplitude of the motion is not too great, the period is independent of the amplitude, i. e. an object suspended from a string has a fixed period of oscillation regardless of its amplitude. The pitch of a guitar string is independent of how hard you pluck it! Isochronous - system that exhibits equal periods for all amplitudes. Simple harmonic motion - periodic motion that yields a sinusoidal x(t) curve.
