Problem Set - 2
Physics of Waves - PH11003 (Autumn 2024-25)
DAMPED HARMONIC OSCILLATOR
August 10, 2024
1. A point performs damped oscillations according to the law x = ao e−ωt sin(ωt). Find
(a) the oscillation amplitude and the velocity of the point at the moment t = 0;
(b) the moments of time at which the point reaches the extreme positions.
2. A mathematical pendulum oscillates in a medium where the logarithmic damping decrement
equals λ = 1.50. What will be the logarithmic decrement if the resistance of the medium
increases n = 2.00 times? How many times has the resistance of the medium to be increased
for oscillations to become impossible?
3. A particle was displaced from the equilibrium position by a distance l = 1.0 cm and then
left alone. What is the distance that the particle covers in the process of oscillations till the
complete stop, if the logarithmic damping decrement is equal to X = 0.02?
4. A uniform disc of radius R = 13 cm can rotate about a horizontal axis perpendicular to its
plane and passing through the edge of the disc. Find the period of small oscillations of that
disc if the logarithmic damping decrement is equal to λ = 1.00.
5. A conductor in the shape of a square frame with side a suspended by an elastic thread is
located in a uniform horizontal magnetic field with induction B. In equilibrium, the plane
of the frame is parallel to the vector B.
Having been displaced from the equilibrium position, the frame performs small oscillations
about a vertical axis passing through its centre. The moment of inertia of the frame relative
to that axis is I, and its electric resistance is R. Neglecting the inductance of the frame, find
the time interval after which the amplitude of the frame’s deviation angle decreases e-fold.
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