click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Chapter 11 vocab.
Physics
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Pendulum | a weight hung from a fixed point so that it can swing freely backward and forward, especially a rod with a weight at the end that regulates the mechanism of a clock. |
Cycle | a series of events that are regularly repeated in the same order |
Frequency | the rate at which a vibration occurs that constitutes a wave, either in a material (as in sound waves), or in an electromagnetic field (as in radio waves and light), usually measured per second. |
Amplitude | the maximum extent of a vibration or oscillation, measured from the position of equilibrium. |
period | the interval of time between successive occurrences of the same state in an oscillatory or cyclic phenomenon, such as a mechanical vibration, an alternating current, a variable star, or an electromagnetic wave. |
Oscillator | a device for generating oscillating electric currents or voltages by nonmechanical means. |
Damping | a decrease in the amplitude of an oscillation as a result of energy being drained from the system to overcome frictional or other resistive forces. |
Linear motion | (also called rectilinear motion) is motion along a straight line, and can therefore be described mathematically using only one spatial dimension. |
Harmonic motion | oscillatory motion under a retarding force proportional to the amount of displacement from an equilibrium position. |
Hertz | the SI unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second. |
Phase | adjust the phase of (something), especially so as to synchronize it with something else. |