DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY

SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

18PYB201T - Waves and Optics

Module-I, Lecture-5

Damped Simple Harmonic

Motion

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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 due
to several factors. One such major factor is the frictional forces
which diminish the amplitude of oscillation and the system
ultimately comes to rest.
The decrease in amplitude caused by the dissipative forces is called
Damping.
Oscillations with decreasing amplitude are called Damped
Oscillations.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 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
𝑑𝑥
𝐹 = −𝛾𝑣 = −𝛾 (1)
𝑑𝑡
where γ is called damping coefficient of the medium and may be
termed as resistive force per unit velocity.
Also
𝑑2 𝑥 𝑑𝑣
𝐹=𝑚 2 =𝑚 (2)
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 3
18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 Damped Oscillations
Comparing Eqn.1 and Eqn.2
𝑑𝑣
𝑚 = −𝛾𝑣 3
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑣 𝛾
+ 𝑣=0 4
𝑑𝑡 𝑚
Rewritten as
𝑑𝑣 1
+ 𝑣=0 5
𝑑𝑡 𝜏
The constant γ/m=1/τ, the resistive force per unit mass per unit
velocity, is denoted by 2b, where b is called damping constant of the
medium.
Rewriting and integrating Eqn. 5
𝑑𝑣 1
=− 𝑑𝑡 6
𝑣 𝜏
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 Damped Oscillations
𝑡
ln 𝑣 = − + 𝐶 7
𝜏
where C constant, determined from the initial conditions.
When t = 0, v = v0,
ln 𝑣0 = 𝐶 8
Sub Eqn.8 in Eqn. 7
−𝑡
𝑣= 𝑣0 𝑒 𝜏 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.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 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.

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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 Damped SHM
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 ).

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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 Damped SHM
The general equation of the damped harmonic oscillator (or) Spring
mass system is given by
1

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.

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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 Damped SHM
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,
α2 Aeαt + 2bα Aeαt + ω20 A eαt = 0
(or) α2 + 2bα + ω20 = 0
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.
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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.

a1 = a0/2 [ 1 + b/√b2 – ω02 ] and a2 = a0/2 [ 1- b/√b2 – ω02 ]……..…5

Therefore Eqn. 4 becomes

x(t) = a0 /2 exp (-bt) [ (1 + b/√b2 – 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
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5
 Damped SHM
(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
Heavy 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.
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18PYB201T Module-I Lecture-5