2. Oscillations

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this mini-lecture, we explore oscillations, focusing in particular on: (i) the example of the simple pendulum; (ii) the exchange between kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy as the pendulum swings back and forth; (iii) using sine and cosine waves to describe oscillating motion; (iv) amplitude and wavelength of oscillations; and (v) displacement, velocity, and acceleration equations and graphs for the oscillating motion of the pendulum.

Course

In this course, Professor Giles Hammond (University of Glasgow) explores elasticity and oscillations. In the first mini-lecture, we consider elasticity, stress, and strain of materials when forces are applied. In the second mini-lecture, we use the simple pendulum to discuss oscillations and the corresponding displacement, velocity, and acceleration equations of the oscillating motion. In the third mini-lecture, we introduce the concept of simple harmonic motion and use two systems, the simple pendulum and a mass on a spring, to understand it’s properties. In the fourth mini-lecture we discuss damping and resonance. In the fifth mini-lecture, we bring together what we have learned in an example that covers stress, extension, and oscillation frequency of a steel wire.

Lecturer

Giles Hammond is a Professor of Experimental Gravitational Physics at the University of Glasgow. His research interests focus on the development of fused silica suspension systems for gravitational wave detectors. He has made significant contributions to the development of the monolithic stages of quadruple pendulums used in the process of updating the components used in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) into the experiment now deemed Advanced LIGO (aLIGO). During this process, he led the installation of several suspensions at both the Hanford and Livingston aLIGO sites. This improved precision of aLIGO contributed to the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015, which led to the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics.