Free oscillations

Vibrational processes are one of the most common phenomena in nature. Their research deals with various branches of knowledge, first of all, physics. To answer the question of what oscillations are called free, it should be taken into account that this category is the initial one in the study of the entire variety of vibrational phenomena that occur in nature.

Distinguish their following types, classified according to the following reasons.

By physical nature distinguish between mechanical, electromagnetic and mixed, combining the characteristics of those already named.

By the way of flowing in the surrounding environments, the following oscillations are distinguished:

- forced, that is, those that are caused and occur under the influence of various kinds of external perturbations of the environments in which they occur. In this case, the periodicity condition of these perturbations must be observed;

- free oscillations, also called intrinsic ones, which are initiated by the internal properties of the system and which are characterized by mandatory damping, when the action of internal forces ceases or decreases;

- self-oscillations - those that are characterized by the presence of a certain potential (potential energy) in the system that ensures the fulfillment of oscillations. The main thing is that the free oscillations differ from self-oscillations, the amplitude does not depend on the initial initiating force pulse, but on the characteristics of the physical system itself;

- parametric - these are the oscillations that are formed when a given parameter is intentionally assigned to a vibrational system, which acts as a manifestation of the properties of the external environment;

- random oscillations are those in which the factors affecting the oscillatory process are random, not parametric.

Summarizing these characteristics, we can conclude that in the most general form, oscillations are repeating with a certain periodicity of a certain system with respect to its equilibrium state. The most common areas of manifestation of oscillatory processes in nature are mechanical phenomena, chemical, wave and electric, astronomical, electromagnetic and other. A common property of all types of oscillations, without exception, is that they are directly related to the energy transition - the conversion of one type of energy into another.

As already noted, the starting point in the study of the nature of oscillatory processes is an investigation of such a kind as free oscillations. Their main characteristics are the following parameters:

- Amplitude (A) - the largest deviation of the system from its equilibrium state (most often the average value is used);

- period (T) - a certain period of time during which it is possible to fix repetitions of system states;

- frequency of free oscillations (f) - the number of oscillations that the system makes in a certain unit of time. This parameter is measured in hertz (Hz).

The relationship of these parameters reflects the formula that characterizes free oscillations as a phenomenon. For different oscillatory systems, the parameters in this formula are included in various combinations, depending on which particular system is being considered.

For example, in the simplest oscillatory circuit, the period and frequency are related by the formula: f = 1 / T, it shows that the period and frequency are inverse values.

If we consider the free oscillations that occur in such a system as a statically fixed spring having a certain elasticity (k), then we must turn to Newton's second law. Taking into account it, the formula reflecting the properties of the considered oscillatory system will take the form: F = -kx. This means that if we neglect the values of the frictional forces and take the mass as a constant, then such a system will always oscillate with the same period, even with different amplitudes and initial conditions of their origin.